


Refuge - Part II:  Gathering the Family

by beancounter22765



Series: Refuge [2]
Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Bad parents think they're always right, Even good parents make mistakes, F/M, Family of choice/found family, Frank Discussions of Puberty, Major Illness, Minor Character Death, Miraculous Ladybug characters cameos, frank discussions of hormones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:53:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 215,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23433478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beancounter22765/pseuds/beancounter22765
Summary: The foundation is in place.  The Hinan family registry has been established and Hinansho is supporting itself.  Will the refuge be needed by more than Usa-chan?  Or was Haruhi worried over nothing?
Series: Refuge [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1587760
Comments: 231
Kudos: 35





	1. Summer's End

Haruhi walked up and down the hall, knocking on doors and calling, “Come on, guys. They want us in the dining room. You can finish packing after dinner.”

Hikaru and Kaoru popped out of their apartments and said, in unison, “Haruhi, are you going to help us pack?”

From halfway down the hall, knocking on Tamaki and Kyoya’s doors, she laughingly responded, “No. I’ve told you before that I’m not your maid. Ask Shima to help you.”

“NO. She’ll stand over us with a disapproving look and make us do it all ourselves,” Hikaru whined.

Chuckling, Haruhi said, “So you have to do it yourself either way.”

Kaoru pouted. “You’re just being mean!”

“No, I just have my own packing to do yet,” she retorted as she knocked on Mitsukuni’s door.

When the door opened, Haruhi stepped back, startled because Takashi answered the door rather than Mitsukuni. “I did mix up the rooms? I thought this was Mitsukuni’s.”

“No, I was just helping Mitsukuni pack because I’m already done,” Takashi said.

“Oh, okay. Well, it’s time to head down to the dining room.”

Mitsukuni popped out from behind Takashi. “Let’s do down together.”

“You guys go ahead. I still have to get Tamaki and Kyoya. They didn’t answer when I knocked on their doors.”  
  


Mitsukuni said, “Oh, I just saw Tamaki walking around outside. Takashi and I can go get him while you check on Kyoya.”

“Thanks. I’ll be down as soon as I let Kyoya know it’s time for dinner.” Haruhi smiled at the cousins as she walked back to Kyoya’s door and knocked again.

She tried the knob and found it unlocked. Opening it a few inches, she called again, “Kyoya?” Hearing a noise that wasn’t really a response, she opened the door further and looked inside. Kyoya was sitting in an armchair, staring at an empty suitcase on the sofa.

Haruhi walked up behind Kyoya and placed her hands on his shoulders. He jumped slightly at the contact and looked up.

“Oh, it’s you,” he murmured. “Did you want something?”

“You must not have heard me calling. I was sent to tell everyone that it’s time for dinner. Everyone else has already gone down but you weren’t responding to my knock.” There was a trace of worry in her voice.

“I guess I was lost in thought.” He shrugged indifferently.

“Kyoya, you’re shoulders are really tense.” Haruhi started to massage gently and he leaned his head back, relaxing as best he could into her gentle ministrations. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you don’t want the summer to end. Or is it that you just don’t want to go home?” she asked tentatively.

“ _Do I dare let my guard down and tell her?”_ Kyoya pondered. “ _As close as we’ve all gotten this summer, am I willing to air my family’s dirty laundry?”_ He rotated his shoulders as Haruhi’s hands kneaded a particularly stiff spot on his right shoulder.

She patted his shoulders gently and said, “That will have to do for now. They’re expecting us in the dining room.”

Before she could move her hands, he grasped the one on his left shoulder with his right hand and pulled her around in front of his chair. Looking up at her, he said, “You’re right. I don’t want to go home. I received a message from my father this morning complaining about the balance in my investment account.”

“Is there a problem with your account? Has the Hinan family been costing you too much?” Haruhi asked, concerned.

“No, no. It’s not the Hinan family. That’s a separate account all together and those investments are doing fine. My father doesn’t know about that one. The one he’s talking about is the one he has access to. My siblings and I are expected to maintain a certain minimum balance to cover our day-to-day expenses.” Kyoya shook his head in frustration. “Even when I meet his demands, it’s still not good enough.”

Watching the corners of his mouth tense into a frown, she asked, “What exactly is the problem? If you’re meeting expectations, what more does he want?”

“He wants to know why my investments aren’t yielding better returns. I can’t exactly tell him, ‘Sorry, Father, but my best investments are hidden so you can’t access and squander them.’ You remember what happened when my balance was down after purchasing the company before Tonnerre could.” Unconsciously, he ran his thumb across his bottom lip.

Remembering the bruises and split lip, Haruhi’s mouth hardened into a straight line and her eyebrows pulled down into a scowl. “Yeah, I remember.” Noticing that he was starting to tense up again she walked around behind him and started massaging his shoulders again.

“Too bad you couldn’t just live here at Hinansho,” Haruhi said offhandedly. She absentmindedly continued massaging his shoulders, trying to dispel some of the tension.

Her mind wandered, turning over the problem in her head. “ _What would it take for him to live here? I mean, security isn’t a problem. I’d hate to pull Tachibana away from his family even more than he is now. If only there were a way…”_

“Wait! That’s it! You could live here.”

Kyoya huffed, “As much as I would like to do that, I can’t live here unsupervised.”

“What do you mean, unsupervised? There’s Shima, Kairi, Atsuhiro, and all of the other employees.” Haruhi pushed gently against his shoulder.

“But what about security?” he rebutted.

“Except for Shima and Kairi, they are all trained. But, I also had a thought. Why don’t you talk to Tachibana about moving his wife and daughter here?”

“I…will have to consider that. It would allow him to be on the job but still have more time with his family.” Kyoya’s expression turned thoughtful. “Now I just have to address Father’s questions about my investment balance.”

She walked around his chair, pushed the suitcase aside, and sat on the sofa facing him. “Hmm, that could be tricky. You already know that he is the real reason your balance keeps declining. But you need to make him think you don’t know that.” Haruhi looked pensive and stared at the floor.

“That is the crux of the matter,” Kyoya said wryly. “It’s not as if the dividends from my companies haven’t been depositing regularly, though come to think of it, I have noticed some discrepancies since my fiscal agent retired and Father assigned me a new one. I thought it was just more of his ‘fees’ but maybe the new agent has been—helping himself to my money.”

Haruhi looked excited. “That’s it! Just tell him that you have noticed discrepancies between your stockholder reports and your investment accounts. Tell him you have had more promising investment opportunities but didn’t want to make any changes while you are investigating the issue.”

Standing up, Kyoya smirked, “I like that idea. I just might be able to drag it out for three or four months. I think you’ve been hanging around me too much. You are getting more devious all the time.”

Kyoya took a step toward Haruhi and started to reach for her hand when the door to his apartment crashed open.

“What are you two up to?” Tamaki demanded. “We’ve all been waiting for you in the dining room.”

Kyoya rolled his eyes and said, “Haruhi was helping me talk through a couple pressing issues. We were just about to come down.”

Tamaki looked back and forth between Haruhi and Kyoya suspiciously. Unable to find any improprieties, he turned on his heel and left in a huff.

“We’d better follow him or he’ll have the rest of them up here,” Haruhi whispered, blushing lightly.

“ _She really is pretty when she blushes,”_ Kyoya thought. “ _I can’t fault him for being upset. Who knows what I might have done if he hadn’t interrupted.”_ Aloud, he responded, “Good idea. After you.”

As soon as Haruhi exited, Kyoya followed her and locked the door behind them. They walked to the dining room in silence as they each contemplated their own thoughts.

“ _I wonder if he was going to kiss me again? I was kind of hoping he would,”_ Haruhi thought. “ _I know he is deferring to Tamaki, but I don’t have feelings for Tamaki. He’s really not my type and I will never be able to match the Haruhi in his mind theater. He would forever be disappointed because I know I wouldn’t act the way he expected me to._ ”

_“Those were a couple of really good ideas Haruhi came up with,”_ Kyoya contemplated. “ _I’ll talk to Tachibana after dinner and see what he thinks about moving his family to Hinansho. The note to Father will have to be carefully composed to make it sound like it’s an issue I’ve been looking into for a few months and I have an idea what the problem is but not how to fix it yet. That will take some delicate crafting.”_

As the pair walked into the dining room, Shima arched an eyebrow chastisingly and said, “It’s about time you two joined us.”

Hikaru and Kaoru snickered and whispered loudly, “Ooo, you’re in trouble now.”

Shima gave the twins a withering glance and gestured for Kyoya and Haruhi to take their seats at the table. “Kairi, we’re all here. Dinner can be served.”

Kairi opened the door to the kitchen and said, “Okay, we’re all here. You can start serving.” Then he took his own place at the dining room table.

Around the table sat the hosts, Ryoji, Tachibana, Fuyumi with her husband and children, Shima, Atsuhiro, and Kairi.

The kitchen and household staffs brought in the soup. Before exiting, Kosaku Ito, the new accountant, stepped forward and said, “On behalf of the kitchen and household staffs, I would like to thank all of you for our jobs here. We just want you to know that we appreciate the way you treat your employees. Please enjoy your celebration.” He then gave Kairi and Shima a significant look as he closed the door behind him.

Haruhi noticed the look, watching Shima and Kairi nod in response. _“I wonder what that was all about?”_ Before she could give it anymore thought, Fuyumi stood and called for everyone’s attention.

“We are all here to acknowledge the end of summer and celebrate the next steps. For Mitsukuni and Takashi, that means moving into an apartment near Tokyo University as they begin classes. Mitsukuni will be studying physical therapy to compliment martial arts training. Takashi will be studying accounting with an emphasis on forensic accounting to better evaluate companies for partnerships, mergers, or purchases.” Turning to the cousins, she continued, “You two will be missed, but we wish you all the best.”

During the congratulations for the university-bound pair, the kitchen staff brought in the next course. Conversation flowed freely as everyone enjoyed the food.

When Fuyumi judged that everyone was done with the second course, she stood again. “Now, let’s congratulate Kyoya and Tamaki as they begin their final year at Ouran.” Someone started to applaud and everyone else followed. Kyoya only nodded but Tamaki beamed in appreciation.

“ _When I find out who started the applause…”_ Kyoya thought darkly, embarrassed by the attention focused on him.

Tamaki stood and gushed, “Thank you all for your kind thoughts…”

He was interrupted when the kitchen staff brought in the main course. With everyone’s attention elsewhere, Tamaki shrugged and sat back down to enjoy the meal.

As everyone was enjoying the delicious dinner, Ryoji piped up, “We should also remember Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru who are starting their second year at Ouran. I am sooo proud of my baby girl and all she’s accomplished, to get and keep a scholarship at such a prestigious school. Her mother would be so proud of her as well.”

Kaoru spoke up, “We’ve been privileged to have her in our lives. Two years ago, Tamaki brought our three spheres together.” He gestured at himself and Kaoru, Mitsukuni and Takashi, and Tamaki and Kyoya. “But during this last year, Haruhi was able to open our spheres and show us a whole new world.”

“She may have joined us in an unorthodox manner, but she really has enriched all our lives,” Mitsukuni added.

The other hosts chimed in, “Hear, hear.” 

Haruhi blushed at the attention and praise. “I may have been reluctant at first, but you guys really grew on me.”

“Yeah, like a fungus,” Kyoya called, looking pointedly at Tamaki.

Rising to the bait, Tamaki responded, “I suppose you’re alluding to all the mushrooms I used to grow.”

“What do you mean ‘used to,’ Tono?” Hikaru jibed.

Kaoru inserted, “Yeah, it was just this morning when Haruhi sat between Takashi and Mitsukuni at breakfast, rather than next to you.”

“Oh, you devil twins,” Tamaki growled in response. The rest of the table laughed at the antics of the hosts.

Kairi stood and gestured for attention, “If you have all finished you dinner, I would like to present my dessert masterpiece du jour.”

“I’ve heard so much about your desserts. I can’t wait to see one for myself,” Ryoji enthused, clapping his hands excitedly.

Holding the kitchen door open, Kairi gestured to the security staff waiting there. They carefully wheeled in two carts, a small one with a tea service and a larger one with an elaborate dessert display.

Before anyone could get up to examine the desserts more closely, one of the security staff members stepped forward. “I know that Kosaku expressed the appreciation of the staff for the way you all treat us. The security staff would also like to thank you for allowing us to do more than just walk around patrolling. You’ve allowed us to also garden, prune shrubs, mow the grounds, and work around the pool, basically blending in to better do our jobs while also indulging in our outdoor interests. Thank you for such a wonderful work environment.”

After the security staff left, the party finally had an opportunity to admire the dessert display. There were small servings of dark chocolate mousse, fresh strawberry tarts, crème brulee, carrot cake with raisins, and lemon tarts surrounding the centerpiece, an elaborate four-layer cake, each quarter a different flavor.

Mitsukuni looked at the cake and practically drooled. “I see chocolate, strawberry cream, and lemon chiffon, but I don’t recognize the fourth kind.”

Kairi smiled. “That’s german chocolate cake. It’s made with dark baking chocolate and has a special coconut-pecan frosting.”

“It sounds yummy,” Mitsukuni replied as he cut a generous slice, grinning broadly.

Tamaki grabbed Haruhi’s hand and tugged her over to the desserts. “Look, my darling daughter, they have your favorite—strawberries.”

Haruhi rolled her eyes and reclaimed her hand. “I am NOT your daughter. I thought you finally got over that this summer.”

Looking at her with dreamy eyes, Tamaki said, “That means you’ve reconsidered being my girlfriend.”

Huffing in annoyance, Haruhi responded, “No. I thought I made it clear, I don’t feel that way about you. You’re like a brother to me.”

Tamaki’s expression fell. “What about the approval of my grandmother and father? What have I done wrong?” he whimpered.

Haruhi pulled him to a corner of the room. “Tamaki, please try to understand. I don’t fit your ideal of a girl. I would make you miserable because I would never act the way you expect.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued. “Remember when I rode with you to the weekend at the Morinozuka estate and you first told me that your father and grandmother approved of me? You imagined how the scene would play out, but I didn’t react according to your script.”

Sullenly he murmured, “Yeah, I remember, but…”

“I really disappointed you, didn’t I?” Haruhi asked gently.

“Well, yes,” Tamaki allowed. “But things could change.”

Haruhi placed a hand on each of his cheeks and looked him directly in the eyes. “If I have to change, then do you really want ME?”

Tamaki opened and closed his mouth a few times before he moved to the nearest chair and sat down, mumbling to himself.

_“I hope I got through without hurting his feelings_ ,” Haruhi thought. She picked up two spoons, a strawberry tart, and a crème brulee. She place the crème brulee and one of the spoons on the table near Tamaki. She took the strawberry tart to the opposite end of the table and watched him surreptitiously.

Absentmindedly, Tamaki picked up the spoon and cracked the sugar crust. Slowly he ate the dessert, occasionally nodding his head or tilting it in confusion, apparently carrying on an internal conversation. His expression turned pensive, morphed into comprehension and, finally, acceptance.

Looking down at the empty dish, he smiled ruefully. He stood up, walked over to the sideboard, and left the dish there. Then he walked over to Haruhi.

He looked sheepish as he said, “You’re right. I have been trying to make you act like my ideal girlfriend, but then you wouldn’t be YOU and…” His voice trailed off as he struggled to express his thoughts.

“I’m glad you finally understand what I’ve been trying to tell you. Instead of trying to make me into what I’m not, you should be looking for the girl who already is your ideal.” Haruhi smiled and patted his hand.

Across the room, Kairi felt a tug on his sleeve. Fuyumi’s daughter Hibiki asked, “What are all the little desserts around the cake?”

Kneeling down to her level, Kairi pulled a package of small sampling spoons out of his pocket and then moved a serving of each of the small desserts to the edge of the table near them. He said, “Let’s taste them all and find out. Which one do you want to start with?”

Hibiki pointed and Kairi scooped up a little on a sampling spoon. “This is dark chocolate mousse. It’s like a fluffy chocolate pudding.”

“Mmm, that’s good,” the little girl hummed. “What’s that one?”

Kairi smiled. “I don’t know if you will like that one. It’s carrot cake with raisins. It’s designed for people who want a dessert but don’t want something that’s really sweet.” He put a small taste on a new spoon and handed it to her.

“Carrots?!?” She made a face, but decided to tried the cake anyway. Surprised, she said, “That doesn’t taste like carrots at all.”

“What about me?” a little boy’s voice demanded, jostling Kairi’s elbow.

“Sorry, Masaya. I didn’t know you were interested, too.” Taking out more small spoons, he gave the boy a taste of the mousse and carrot cake.

“Hibiki’s right, these are pretty good,” Masaya stated.

Seiji stepped up behind his children and chuckled, “Will wonders never cease? He agreed with his sister about something and they both ate vegetables without complaining.”

Kairi smiled and offered some sampling spoons. “Want to join the tasting party?”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Seiji helped himself to a taste of the mousse and carrot cake. “What shall we try next?”

Kairi turned around and addressed the rest of the room, “Don’t be shy everyone, come join us. If you don’t have a favorite, you can join our tasting party.”

“What are these?” Masaya asked, pointing to the strawberry tarts.

“Those are a favorite but very seasonable. Those strawberry tarts are just three fresh strawberries in a tart shell, brushed with heated strawberry jam and garnished with a fresh mint leaf. They’re just not the same with frozen or canned fruit. I wish I had a greenhouse so I could grow them year round,” Kairi mused.

“What would it take?” Kyoya asked, startling the taste-testing party.

Kairi jumped. “Don’t do that!”

Kyoya chuckled. “Sorry, force of habit. But really, what would it take to set up a greenhouse for you?”

“If you’re serious, I have the information in my office.”

“I am serious, but I don’t want to interrupt the tasting party. We can talk later.”

Nodding, Kairi said, “Sounds good. I’ll find you a little later.” Then he turned back to Seiji and the kids. “Let’s finish our taste-testing.”

Kyoya watched the quartet return to the dessert table. Then he noticed Tachibana gesturing to him. Walking over, he asked, “Do you need something?”

“Could we step out for a minute? I need to ask you something.”

Stepping out of the dining room, Kyoya asked, “Is there a problem?”

Tachibana responded, “No problem. I just wanted to ask your permission to live here at Hinansho and move my wife and daughter into my apartment with me.”

Kyoya leaned against the wall and crossed his arms across his chest. “Are you by any chance a mind reader?” he asked.

“Sir?” Tachibana replied questioningly.

Chuckling, he elaborated, “I have been reluctant to go back home now that the summer is over. Haruhi suggested that I live here. When I pointed out that I couldn’t live here unsupervised, she suggested asking you to move your family here. Now, here you are, asking that very thing.”

It was Tachibana’s turn to chuckle. “I only figured that Hinansho is closer to Ouran and the Otori estate than my current home is. The reduced commute would give me more time with my family. Not to mention, I wouldn’t have to maintain a separate home when I have a fully equipped apartment here.

Tachibana paused to consider something and then said, “I don’t know how your father will feel about you living here. If there’s a problem later, we can always move you home and have you come here often to use your ‘office’. And if you happen to fall asleep while you’re working, well, there is a bed available.”

Kyoya shook his head and said, “Are you sure you’re not in cahoots with Haruhi?”

“No, I’m not,” Tachibana assured. “But if she ever asked me to help her with some scheme, I would not hesitate. She has been good for you. In some ways, even better than Tamaki.”

“I see I’ll have to watch my back if Haruhi gets any ideas into her head,” Kyoya retorted. “Without even thinking about it, she collects co-conspirators like most commoners collect change. I can’t think of anyone on this estate that wouldn’t help her with a scheme. And then there are all those she’s charmed at Ouran.”

Tachibana smiled with almost a paternal pride. “The world better watch out. She is a force to be reckoned with when she makes up her mind about something.”

Kyoya could not hide the affection in his voice when he replied, “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Nodding toward the dining room, Tachibana said, “We’d better get back before Shima comes looking for us.”

“Let’s go try those desserts. The dark chocolate mousse looked delicious,” Kyoya responded, opening the door.

Kairi had been watching for Kyoya and Tachibana to return. “ _I wonder what they were discussing? Well, no matter. It doesn’t appear to be trouble since they’re both smiling.”_ He looked to Shima and she nodded her head encouragingly.

Once everyone chose a dessert and selected a cup of tea, they settled back down at the dinner table to relax and talk. It was obvious from the atmosphere that no one wanted the time to end.

Looking around, Kairi decided, _“It’s time.”_ Standing he said, “The staff have asked me to speak on their behalf. First, I want to thank you for a wonderful summer. It was great to work with all the events. Especially easing into this new enterprise.

“That being said, we were talking recently and we all agree that Hinansho could handle much more. It would only require a few additional people to be able to have the restaurant open daily to the public and rent rooms to individuals as well as groups.” He paused to gauge the reaction to the suggestion.

Haruhi glanced around at the other hosts and found them all watching her expectantly. She sighed as she realized, _“They expect me to handle this. Oh well, I only have myself to blame since this whole thing was my idea.”_

Looking to Shima for her input, Haruhi saw her smile and nod. _“Okay…Shima’s on board with this, so opening up Hinansho more should be a good thing.”_

Turning to Fuyumi, Haruhi asked, “Were you aware of this?”

Fuyumi smiled brightly. “Actually, I suggested it to Shima, Kairi, and Kosaku. Kosaku’s wife, Hibiki—I’m thrilled she has the same name as my daughter--asked if she could be the front desk clerk. That would also allow her to assist Shima with recordkeeping.

“I estimate we will need four full-time wait staff, two additional kitchen staff, and two additional security who would take the other two front desk shifts. I figured next week would be a good time to start since things will be rather dull around here with the Host Club at school and concentrating on their studies.”

Haruhi considered the whirlwind of information that Fuyumi just provided. “It appears you’ve all talked and thought this through carefully. I would like you to consider adding a few more staff than those you’ve mentioned. I really like the idea of offering good wages to good people and we don’t want to overwork anyone. Start with those you’ve already identified and then add more as needed. I suspect that the restaurant and lounge are going to become very popular once people find out about them.”

Ryoji piped up, “Would it be possible for my friend, Shohei, to be hired as bartender?”

Haruhi replied, “That’s right. He would have been working here as the bartender if it wasn’t for the embezzlement and scandal. Give his contact information to Tachibana so he can do the background check. I’ll leave it to Shima and Kairi from there.”  
  


She looked around the room. “Does anyone else have questions or suggestions?”

Tamaki suggested tentatively, “What about music for the lounge?”

Kairi looked pensive. “I hadn’t thought about that. I’ll check around with some of my contacts and get their opinion. If they think it’s a good idea, we’ll make that ‘Phase 2’ of marketing Hinansho.”

Kyoya spoke up, “For the first six weeks or so, you might consider offering an appetizer or small dessert to customers as incentive to fill out a questionnaire regarding their experience and anything additional they might like to see. That would give us some data points on which to evaluate the operation.”

“Good idea, Kyoya,” Haruhi said. Looking around at the other hosts, she asked, “Shall we leave it to Fuyumi, Shima, and Kairi to begin offering more access to Hinansho?”

Takashi responded, “Sounds good. We can evaluate it the first weekend in October when we get together to plan the Host Club Halloween Party.”

“Excellent idea, Takashi,” Mitsukuni agreed. He looked around the table. “Well, what do the rest of you say?”

Kyoya said, “A sound proposal.”

Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru all nodded in agreement.

<OHSHC>

Everyone gathered in the lobby, saying their goodbyes. Mitsukuni and Takashi were headed to their apartment near Tokyo University. The other hosts were headed to their homes to prepare for the new year at Ouran.

“Hey, Tamaki?” Haruhi asked nervously.

“Yeah?” he responded excitedly.

“Could we talk for a few minutes?”

“Sure, what do you want to talk about?”

Haruhi led Tamaki over to one of the grouping of chairs set in a conversation circle. She had a pensive look on her face as she gestured for him to take a seat and she sat down facing him.

“What’s up, Haruhi?” he asked.

“Are we okay?” she asked hesitantly.

Tamaki frown. “Why wouldn’t we be okay?”

Haruhi sighed. “We’re still friends, right? I haven’t offended you by refusing to become your ideal girlfriend?”

Comprehension dawned and Tamaki chuckled. “Yeah, we’re good. Thanks for helping me face reality about us.”

Smiling in relief, Haruhi said, “I’m glad. I’d hate to lose a friend.”

“No problem. But we better go before the car leaves without us.” Tamaki stood up and pulled her to her feet, heading for the front door.

<OHSHC>

Just before the first mandatory Otori family dinner following summer vacation was to begin, Yoshio sent for Kyoya to report to his office.

“ _Here we go again,”_ thought Kyoya sourly.

“Kyoya, what is the problem with your investments? The returns have been much lower than usual during the past six months,” Yoshio demanded, sitting like a feudal lord behind his dark mahogany desk.

Standing ramrod straight in front of his father’s desk, Kyoya replied, “I have also noticed discrepancies between my stockholder reports and my investment account. My investigation has narrowed it down to just after Mr. Asano retired as my fiscal agent. The investment custodian sent me copies of statements for the past year and I am currently working on comparing receipts on those statements to my stockholder distribution statements.”

“How long do you anticipate it will take?” Yoshio questioned.

“I started working on the project as soon as I returned from my summer travels. Given that I have twenty-seven investments in my account and have only completed examining the year for six of those, it will take a few months. A friend is lending me an office to work in so I don’t have to pack the files away every day,” Kyoya answered.

Yoshio looked suspicious. “Who is this ‘friend’ lending you an office? Is it the Suoh boy?”

“No, it is not Tamaki. This information is far too sensitive to allow random access by servants cleaning. The Hinan family has graciously permitted me to change the locks on an office at their estate for my use.”

“Who is this Hinan family? Have I had dealings with them?”

“It is a contact through Ouran. They are new money and relatively unknown at present,” Kyoya answered almost glibly.

Yoshio pondered Kyoya’s response as he eyed him suspiciously. “Do you have any new investments in the works?”

“I regret that I have had to pass up several potentially lucrative opportunities because I want to find the problem in my investment account before I make any changes. I could inadvertently sell a productive investment while leaving a problem one in place. Despite the potential losses, I intend to keep my holdings static until my investigation is complete.”

“Prudent,” Yoshio allowed. “If you happen to encounter any more lucrative investments that you cannot avail yourself of, please feel free to inform me. I will make sure that the family benefits from any such information.”

“I will take that under advisement,” Kyoya conceded. “ _When pigs fly. I’ll pass them to the Hinan family before I ever pass them to you, Father.”_

There was a knock at the door and Yoshio called, “Come in.”

The butler quietly announced, “Dinner awaits.”

“Thank you,” Yoshio responded. “We will be in shortly.” To Kyoya, he said, “I believe that covers everything—for now.”

Kyoya bowed his head slightly in respect and waited to follow his father out of his office. “ _That went better than anticipated_ ,” he thought wryly.


	2. The Calm Before the Storm

“Mitsukuni, you’re here,” Haruhi said, pulling him into a hug. She noticed the downcast expression on his face when he and Takashi walked through the front door and into the lobby of Hinansho. “I’ve missed you two so much.”

A smile brightened his face as he replied, “It’s good to see you guys. University has been harder than expected, especially without your smile, Haruhi.” After another hug, he released her to Takashi.

Takashi picked her up and hugged her gently. “Thank you for sending the treats and the encouraging texts. They’ve meant a lot to both of us.”

It was hard for Kyoya to keep the look of envy off his face as he watched the cousins with Haruhi.

She pulled Mitsukuni and Takashi across the lobby to where the other hosts were waiting to greet them. Tamaki insisted on hugs, while Kyoya shook their hands, and the twins resorted to pats on the back. Takashi surreptitiously checked Mitsukuni’s back for a ‘kick me’ or similar sign that could have been placed by the twins.

Tamaki piped up, “We’re eating in my apartment tonight. It’s more informal and we can take all the time we want.”

As they headed to the elevator, Mitsukuni asked, “Who have you replaced us with in the Host Club?”

“We haven’t,” Tamaki replied simply.

Puzzled, Takashi asked, “Why not Yasuchika and Satoshi?”

Tamaki looked a little embarrassed. “First of all, we could never replace you two. The truth is, I wasn’t looking for another ‘boy lolita’ or ‘wild’ type. As I started considering people to invite to join the Host Club, no one seemed to be ‘right’ for us. I haven’t found anyone unique enough.”

Remembering the conversation the Host Club had the first week they were back at Ouran, Haruhi interrupted as he started to get frustrated with his explanation. “It has to do with spending his early years in France. There, people try to be different or stand out. Here in Japan, conformity and fitting in is more acceptable.”

Tamaki wrestled back control of the conversation. “In each of you, I saw something unique and that’s why I asked you to join the Host Club. I haven’t been able to find anyone new to fit that ideal.”

“So we’re still part of the Host Club?” Mitsukuni asked tentatively, a note of hope in his voice.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, Tamaki said forcefully, “Mon ami, even if I found a dozen others to ask to join us, you will always—ALWAYS—be a part of the Host Club.

Sniffing softly, Mitsukuni whispered, “Thanks, Tama-chan, I needed to hear that.”

Takashi caught Haruhi’s eye, glancing at Mitsukuni and then back to her. His expression conveyed, “We need to talk.”

She nodded to indicate that she understood.

The group arrived at Tamaki’s apartment door, he flung it open, and proclaimed flamboyantly, “Come in. Come in. Dinner is waiting for us. Plenty of time to talk about business this weekend. For tonight, let’s relax and have fun.”

<OHSHC>

After dinner, they settled around the living room to watch a movie, The Princess Bride, an American favorite that the girls of Ouran had been gushing over lately.

Kyoya sat at the end of the sofa closest to the door, hoping to slip away while everyone else was distracted by the movie. “ _Maybe I can get some work done tonight. I really don’t want to sit here and watch Mitsukuni, Takashi, or Tamaki with Haruhi,”_ he thought sourly.

Much to his surprise, Haruhi sat next to him and leaned against his side. Instinctively, he moved his arm to the back of the sofa to make more room for her to get comfortable. “ _I was not expecting this_ ,” Kyoya thought, a smile playing on his lips. “ _I guess work can wait_.”

Kyoya tensed slightly when Mitsukuni sat down next to Haruhi and then laid his head in her lap. She gently ran her fingers through his fluffy blond hair and, within minutes, he was asleep.

Haruhi whispered to Kyoya, “He looked so exhausted during dinner. I guess the transition to University has been hard on him.”

“You’re good for him,” Kyoya whispered in return, feeling a tightness in his chest thinking about the growing closeness between Haruhi and Mitsukuni.

Before Haruhi could comment on Kyoya’s statement, Takashi sat down on the other end of the sofa and placed Mitsukuni’s feet on his lap. He whispered to Haruhi, “I’ll carry him to his apartment in a few minutes. He hasn’t been sleeping well lately. In fact, this is the most peaceful I’ve seen him since we started University. Thank you.”

Haruhi smiled softly down at Mitsukuni and ran her fingers through his hair gently. “It’s no problem, Takashi. Glad I could help.” Then she snuggled back into Kyoya’s side and turned her attention to the movie.

Kyoya had a sense of déjà vu, remember the photo Fuyumi had teased him about, the one Tachibana had taken of the four of them in the back of the limousine the first time the Host Club had visited Hinansho.

<OHSHC>

Kairi insisted on serving brunch in the small dining room so they could have their business meeting at their leisure. “Kosaku and Hibiki put together these reports for reference,” Kairi said as he handed out the packets around the room. “Shima, Tachibana, and I have already read them so we’ll let you look through them while you enjoy your meal. The packet contains a comparison of the summer revenues with the revenues for the past six weeks, a map of the estate with some suggested additions, and a summary of the customer comments that were gathered.”

Haruhi’s eyes grew wide as she read the financial reports. “Kyoya, does this look right to you?” she whispered, leaning over and pointing to the net income line.

Kyoya hummed to himself as he perused the documents. “It certainly appears to be. I’m sure Shima, Kairi, and Kosaku will answer any questions we have later.”

Pulling a pen out of her satchel, Haruhi started making notes on the packet. _“I need to learn more about business. I can’t expect Kyoya to always be available to answer my questions. It would probably make it easier to handle the household finances for Dad and me if I knew more_ ,” she thought pensively.

Kosaku sat at one corner of the table eating slowly while discreetly watching the Host Club. “ _They all appear to be taking this very seriously despite their youth. I guess Fuyumi wasn’t exaggerating when she told me Haruhi and Kyoya were the driving forces behind the Hinan family._ ”

Shima smiled indulgently as she watched over the dining room. _“In a way, I’m glad Shizue fired me. This is so much more fun than the second Suoh mansion, even with Master Tamaki there.”_

Noticing that everyone had finished eating, Kosaku stood up and asked, “Does anyone have any questions?”

Haruhi blurted out, “Are these figures accurate? I don’t know that much about business, but the revenues and net income seem higher than I would have expected.”

Kosaku smiled. “That surprised me, too. But if you look in the comments section, you’ll see that our test groups during the first week unanimously expressed the opinion that we were greatly underpricing our offerings. Because of Kairi’s diligence in getting the best quality ingredients, we felt justified in raising the prices. And because he gets such at a good deal, we keep expenses low, thereby increasing the profit margin. Quite a few of our customers also indicated that they were quite willing to pay a premium price for the ‘home’ atmosphere at Hinansho.”

“Where did you obtain your test groups?” Kyoya inquired.

Chuckling, Kosaku answered, “From the scheduled events. As soon as you all gave the go-ahead to expand, we invited participants in those events to try the new restaurant, lounge, and accommodations.”

Kairi added, “Not only did they come, but they told their friends as well. Word-of-mouth is usually the best, and most affordable, advertising.”

With a nod, Shima entered the conversation. “The only area that has been underutilized so far are the accommodations. But that is to be expected as most of our current customers are local.”

Hikaru said, “I’d like to talk about the proposal of adding more greenhouses. I think it would be a great idea, especially if one was for flowers for out-of-season events.”

Kairi interjected, “That’s a good idea. I’d also like to have a larger one for dwarf fruit trees so we can have fresh produce all year.”

“Good thinking,” Kaoru responded. “The best location may be near the west boundary of the property because of the development in progress over there. Depending on what they’re building, It could ruin the aesthetic of the gardens for weddings and photo shoots. Does anyone know what’s going in over there?”

Tachibana spoke up. “The signs give no indication, just the name of the company doing the work, Cormorant Construction. I plan to investigate it thoroughly this week.”

“We were going to suggest looking into them. They sound kind of fishy,” Hikaru said, trying hard to keep a straight face.

Kaoru started laughing and Hikaru couldn’t hold out any longer.

Everyone looked at them questioningly and finally Kairi asked, “What’s so funny?”

Once Kaoru caught his breath, he wheezed, “Cormorant—fishy—get it?

Kairi slapped his forehead. “I walked right into that one.”

Wiping his eyes, Kaoru said, “But seriously, Hikaru is right about looking into them. I seem to recall hearing complaints about that company. I just can’t remember what it was exactly.”

Kyoya inserted, “In addition, I think it would be prudent to have a surveyor check our boundaries, given the facts surrounding Hinansho’s beginning. Kairi, I am also very interested in your idea about purchasing the Oota farm to the east. You note that the couple is getting on in years and none of their children are interested in farming. Hinansho growing its own produce is a much better idea than letting some developer turn it into an office building, factory, or competing resort. Perhaps we should have that property surveyed as well while the crew is here—with the owner’s permission, of course.”

“Hey, Kairi,” Haruhi interrupted, “would it be possible to meet the Ootas today? I would like to talk to them about the farm.”

“Actually, Dai and Miku have been anxious to meet the Host Club. They would like us to go over and have tea with them this afternoon.”

“Then we better get this business meeting wrapped up,” Shima scolded good-naturedly.

Looking at his notes, Kosaku muttered, “Let’s see, where were we?” He flipped a couple pages back and forth. “Okay, we’ve talked about the financial results, the greenhouses, the development to the west, and purchasing the farm. That leaves music in the lounge and restaurant, hosting some public school activities, and investing excess cash.”

“Excess cash,” Haruhi said, chuckling and shaking her head. “Never thought I’d ever be in a situation where I would hear that phrase.”

Kyoya spoke up, “I have a proposal that I would like to put forth on that front. A nearby clinic that will be shut down if a buyer is not found soon. It is the only medical facility within a twenty-kilometer radius. The Otori Group is selling it because they feel the margins are too low to generate sufficient income to remain viable.”

“That sounds like them,” Haruhi grumbled, scowling.

For the first time during the meeting, Hibiki spoke up, “That clinic really is necessary. What would happen if there were a life-threatening situation? Twenty kilometers is too far to go and too long to delay medical treatment.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Kyoya affirmed. “The Hinan family’s purchase would let the community around Hinansho know that we care and we’re not just a bunch of spoiled rich kids.”

“Well, aren’t you though?” Atsuhiro teased. “Okay, all but Haruhi.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Hikaru and Kaoru chorused in unison. Everyone laughed at the good-natured banter.

Kairi interjected, “All kidding aside, it really is a good idea. Kyoya, is it viable, despite what the Otori Group says?”

“I happen to know that the clinic is highly viable, even though its profit margin is not up to Otori standards. It could use some deferred maintenance and capital improvements, but it is a good investment. I mean that in goodwill with the community, as well as financially.”

“So, Kyoya,” Fuyumi asked, “are you going to do the negotiating?” She wiggled her eyebrows teasingly.

Kyoya grinned savagely. “I would be honored to negotiate the purchase for the Hinan family. As long as I do it via my Hinan Family email, they’ll never know it was me.”

“And they’ll never know what hit them,” Tamaki added, grinning.

Kosaku laughed. “Looks like we chose the right man to handle investing for the Hinan family.”

Atsuhiro raised his hand for attention. “If we’re done with that order of business, I have an update on the public school hosting. The representative from the Board of Governors contacted me this morning.”

Kosaku looked to Kyoya, who nodded in response.

“Okay, Atsuhiro,” Kosaku said, “what did the representative have to say?”

“Well, they are very interested in the offer. However, there are many regulations that have to be satisfied before we can start hosting the schools. It will probably take a year to get all the approvals in place.”

Mitsukuni looked downcast. “You mean we can’t do it?”

Haruhi patted his hand comfortingly. “No, it just means it won’t be right now. But think about it, that gives us time to put in the sports fields.”

“That’s true,” Takashi added.

“So we can do it?” Mitsukuni asked, needing confirmation.

“Yes,” Atsuhiro assured him. “It will happen, just not right now. And Haruhi’s right, this will give us more time to get ready.”

“Good,” Mitsukuni said with a relieved smile. “Oh, would it be possible to add gardening clubs? Would it take any longer to meet the regulations than for just the sports?”

“Gardening is a good idea,” Atsuhiro replied. “I’ll have the representative look into it.”

Kosaku checked his notes. “That just leaves the discussion about music in the restaurant and lounge.”

Tamaki piped up, “I know karaoke is popular on Friday and Saturday nights because people like to use it to blow off steam and relax.”

“An open mic night each week could give local talent an opportunity to show off their skills,” Kaoru added.

“That might be a way to locate local talent to hire for one or two of the other nights of the week,” Tamaki suggested.

Kairi said, “Those ideas would work great for the lounge. Well, the local talent could also include instrumentalists that would work well in the restaurant.”

“Do any of the staff have hidden musical talents?” Tamaki asked.

Hibiki softly inserted, “There are a few who have expressed the desire to play in both venues. There may be more who haven’t said anything yet.”

Tamaki started to pretend to play piano on the table. “I’d love the opportunity to play a few sets in the restaurant from time to time when I’m here.”

Shima asked, “Hibiki, would you be willing to schedule events and artists for the two venues?”

“Sure, I think I can do that,” she agreed tentatively.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it,” Takashi said, looking pointedly at Haruhi, who blushed lightly under his gaze.

“Hey, I’ve been learning,” Haruhi protested. “I asked you guys for your help with the Hinan family.”

“You have a point,” Takashi returned, the corner of his lip curling slightly as he tried to suppress a smile.

Kosaku inquired, “Have we covered everything?”

They looked around at each other to see if there were any more questions. There were several shrugs and shaking heads to indicate they were all satisfied with the outcome of the meeting.

“Well, then it looks like….”

Shima interrupted him. “I have one bit of business that I believe is long overdue.”

Yielding the floor to her, Kosaku gestured for her to continue.

“The Host Club,” she met the eyes of each of the seven members, “or should I say, the Hinan family, have been very generous to their employees. However, it has come to my attention that they have not been getting paid for their management services.”

“But that’s not necessary,” Haruhi protested.

Shima pinned her with a pointed look. “Listen here, young lady. You have been doing the work, therefore you should be properly compensated for it.”

Kyoya pushed up his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I must agree with Shima. And I am ashamed to say I have been so busy that it had not occurred to me.”

“So that’s why you asked all those questions, Shima?” Kosaku inquired.

“Yes. I should have said something this summer while they were all here working so hard during their vacation. Be that as it may, we need to deal with it now.”

“What do you propose?” Kyoya asked.

Shima retrieved some folders from the sideboard and handed them out to the hosts and one to Kosaku. “I have calculated what I believe you should have been paid for your work-do-date and what you should be paid going forward.”

“But this is too much,” Haruhi protested, gaping at the sums listed on the first sheet of the paperwork in her folder.

After reading through the summary in his folder, Kosaku interjected, “Just as you all insisted that we were worth the generous compensation packages when you hired us, you all are worth this.” He gestured to the sheet he held.

“Will this interfere with the plans to purchase the clinic and farm?” Haruhi asked nervously.

“Not at all,” Kosaku replied. “When Shima started working on the calculations, we decided to build it into the compensation budget. Tachibana and Fuyumi helped set up Hinan family bank accounts for each of you. The compensation you have already earned was deposited into them and your future paychecks will be as well. The information on your bank accounts is in your folders.”

Haruhi looked dumbstruck. Mitsukuni patted her arm and said, “I guess the rest of us kind of expected this since we have other investments and businesses.”

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi said humbly, “Kosaku, could you help me understand all of this?”

“I would be happy to,” he assured her. “In fact, I know of a few online accounting, finance, and investment courses you could take. You could even get college credit for your work.”

“Hmm, that sounds like a good idea,” Haruhi said. “Thank you.”

“Glad to help. We can talk about it before you leave on Sunday.”

Kairi stood up and asked, “Are we done here now? It’s almost time for me to take the hosts over to have tea with the Ootas.”

Shima looked around and then nodded. “Yes, we’re done here. Kairi, you take the young people over to the farm. Be sure to be back in time for dinner.”

“I already gave my staff the menu for tonight’s dinner. I have complete confidence in them,” Kairi responded as he held the door open for the hosts.

Hikaru asked, “Kairi, can you tell us about the Ootas?”

“I think I’ll just let Dai and Miku tell you all about themselves. Their children and grandchildren don’t visit very often and they look forward to talking to young people.”

On the walk past the dojo headed to the farm, Kaoru noted, “You must make the trek over to the farm a lot. It looks like you’ve worn a regular path.”

“You could say that. I head over almost every day to buy fresh produce. There are also a few on staff who like to go over the help with chores. So, yeah, we’ve worn a path.”

Kyoya jotted something in his ever-present notebook. “It may be prudent to pave a path from the main house to the farm since we plan on purchasing the farm eventually. The path would also have offshoots that head to the koi pond, the meditation garden, and the dojo. It should be wide enough to accommodate carts transporting produce or equipment.”

Haruhi glanced at Kyoya and smiled, remembering their conversation about her history paper on the Great Wall of China. “At least we don’t need to surround the path with walls,” she teased.

Kyoya fought a blush as everyone else looked confused. “It’s an inside joke,” Haruhi chuckled.

“Oh, really?” the twins chorused, looking mischievous.

Now Haruhi was blushing as she stammered, “It was…I asked…umm.”

Kyoya came to her rescue. “When Haruhi first came to me about the whole idea of the Hinan family, she used the excuse of having me proofread her history paper. There were some observations about the crop fields in China regarding narrow paths, equidistant walls, and an additional path/cart trail on top of the walls.”

Kairi broke then tension with this announcement. “We’re here.” He knocked on the door of the neat little farmhouse. It was answered almost immediately.

“Oh, Kairi, punctual as usual,” a petite woman in her sixties said as she opened the door. “I am so happy to meet all of you. I’m Miku Oota. Please come in, come in.” She stood to one side as she opened the door wide and gestured for them to enter.

They each slipped their shoes off and set them neatly near the front door with the two pairs they assumed belonged to the Ootas.

Miku led them into the kitchen bathed in natural light from the large windows looking out over the fields. At the table, sat an older man with a build slightly smaller than Takashi’s. He stood and said, “It is so good to meet all of you. Kairi has told us so much about you.”

“I’m Dai Oota and you’ve met my wife, Miku.” Stepping forward, he shook Takashi’s hand. “You must be Takashi Morinozuka. Kairi said you were the sentinel of the group. And this must be your cousin, Mitsukuni Haninozuka.” He offered his hand in turn to the short blond.

“I’m pleased to meet you,” Mitsukuni replied.

“You’re just as adorable as he described you.”

Next he offered a hand to one of the twins. “Kairi said you two are Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin but he was not able to tell me which one is which.”

“Want to the play the ‘Which one is Hikaru?’ game?” they asked in chorus.

Dai laughed. “Maybe after I have some time to get to know you.”

“Well, so far, Haruhi is the only one who has been able to really tell us apart. I’m Kaoru.”

“And I’m Hikaru.” Then the twins changed places several times very quickly, making the introductions useless.

“I see it will take careful observation of you two before I’m ready to play your game, because I like to win.”

Dai turned and held his hand out to Haruhi. “I take it you are Haruhi Fujioka, since you are the only girl in the group. How do you put up with these guys and their antics?” He smiled broadly and chuckled.

“One day I’ll introduce you to my dad and then it will be obvious.” Haruhi smiled as she shook his hand firmly.

“That leave you two to be Kyoya Otori and Tamaki Suoh.” Dai held out his hand first to Kyoya and then to Tamaki.

Kyoya simply nodded in response. Tamaki gushed, “It’s so good to meet a real farmer.”

Haruhi rolled her eyes and said, “Don’t mind him. He gets excited very easily.”

Miku took charge and said, “Please have a seat and enjoy your tea. I also made karinto fresh this morning. My daughter, Mio, sent me the recipe for these little doughnut sticks. They are very popular in the restaurant at the hotel where her husband works.”

“How many children do you have?” Haruhi asked.

“We have two sons and one daughter,” Miku responded. “Mio is the middle child. She lives in Okinawa where her husband is the manager at a popular hotel. They have two sons and a grandchild due any day now.”

“What about your sons?” Tamaki asked. “Do they live around here?”

Miku shook her head. “No, that’s why we enjoy it so much when Kairi and the other young people from Hinansho come over to buy produce or help out around the farm.”

Dai interjected, “Haru, our oldest, is a salesman for an international firm. He always wanted to travel the world and he loves meeting new people. He tries to stop by at least once a year, but it all depends on his vacation schedule and where he is at the time.”

Sighing, Miku continued, “Our youngest, Yamato, plays viola in the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. We try to make it to at least one of his concerts every year.”

Kyoya remarked, “You must be very proud of your children and the lives they’ve built for themselves.”

“Make no mistake,” Dai said, “we are very proud. But I have to admit it’s a little disappointing that not one of them has any interest in the farm. I hate to think of a developer turning this into a strip mall or housing development. The property your place—Hinansho, you call it?—sits on used to belong to my brother. Neither of his children were interested in farming so he sold it to some developer and moved to Hokkaido to be near his children and grandchildren. The property on the other side of yours that’s being developed now, used to belong to my sister, but she died and her husband couldn’t stand all the memories so he sold it.”

“That’s too bad,” Takashi murmured sadly. “It’s sad to see agricultural land disappearing in favor of commercialism.”

Miku patted his arm and said, “It’s good to hear a young person say that these days.”

Dai sighed. “I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get too old to farm.”

Kyoya looked at Kairi inquiringly and Kairi responded with a nod.

“I may have a solution, if you are amenable,” Kyoya commented.

“Oh?” Dai responded.

Kyoya nodded, “Kairi has mentioned how much he likes having fresh produce so close at hand for the restaurant. He suggested approaching you about an option for right of first refusal.”

“What exactly does that mean?” Miku interrupted.

“It means we would pay you a sum of money now so that when you decide to sell the property in the future, we have the right to buy it or refuse it first, before anyone else. Even if someone approaches you with an offer before you make the decision to sell,” Kyoya explained.

“So you want to do that, with us, for the farm?” Dai questioned.

Kyoya continued, “I was thinking about it, but I may have a better idea. What would you say to an arrangement where we purchase the farm, hire you to manage it, and bring out university agricultural students to do their internships? You might find a new manager you could train among those interns. When you decide to retire, as long as you’ve trained a new manager, it will be an easy transition because you won’t have to worry about selling the farm, you’ll just have to decide what you want to do in your retirement.”

“That’s…hmm…interesting,” Dai hedged. “Can we have some time to think about it?”

Kyoya chuckled, “Of course, it’s just an idea at this point. The same with the option to buy. Oh, before I forget, we’re bringing a survey crew out to check the boundaries of Hinansho, for a variety of reasons. Would you mind if we had your property surveyed as well?”

“Why would you want to do that?” Miku asked suspiciously.

Haruhi cut in. “You heard about the scandal at the resort that is now Hinansho?”

“Well, yes, there was a lot of talk about embezzlement and fraud,” Dai allowed.

“Well, that’s how we bought the property, from the court-ordered sale. Recently we were wondering if there might be other problems with the property, such as construction beyond the legal boundaries. We thought it would be prudent to have the property surveyed to be sure. We couldn’t help wondering if Hinansho isn’t encroaching on your farm’s legal boundaries.”

Dai smiled. “I see. You want to be sure everything is on the up-and-up.”

“Exactly,” Kyoya replied, glaring at Haruhi as if to say, ‘ _Let me handle this_.’ She smirked at him in return.

“And it also relates to your proposal of purchasing the farm, either now or in the future?” Dai asked.

“Even if you decide not to accept the option or sell the farm, we would still like to have your property surveyed,” Kyoya clarified.

“Fine by me,” Dai replied.

Kairi spoke up, “We should be heading back now. I need to put the finishing touches on my specialty dessert for tonight.”

“ _I wonder what Haruhi’s relationship is with these boys?”_ Miku thought. _“Is it just friendship or is there some hanky-panky going on? I really need to talk to her all by herself to get some answers. I hope she doesn’t think I’m just a nosy old biddy. She seems to be too good a girl to be used by these elite families.”_

“Could Haruhi stay for a little longer? I haven’t had a good girl-talk session in a while,” Miku asked. She looked disappointed that their guests were leaving so soon.

Tamaki was about to protest when Takashi turned to Dai and said, “Would you show me the animals?”

Mitsukuni piped up, “That’s right! Takashi likes animals. He has a pet chicken and a tanuki.”

Dai smiled. “I’d be happy to, Takashi. You can walk Haruhi back afterward so your friends don’t have to worry about her.”

Kairi did not miss the looks of disappointment and envy on the faces Tamaki, Kyoya, and the twins. He acknowledged Dai’s comment by saying, “Okay, that should work.” Turning to Takashi and Haruhi, he said, “We’ll see you two soon. Don’t be late for dinner.”

“We won’t,” Haruhi assured him.

“Hn,” Takashi added, nodding.

Dai turned to Takashi and commented, “We don’t have as many animals as we used to but the two of us couldn’t keep up with the chores. We have a couple cows, a couple pigs, and a small flock of chickens.” His voice trailed off as the two men walked out the door.

Miku turned to Haruhi and smiled, “Thank you for indulging an old woman. I spend far too much time alone.”

Haruhi chuckled, “I’m not much into the usual girl-talk, as you can imagine since I hang out with six guys.”

“Actually, they are the reason I wanted to talk to you.” Miku looked at Haruhi sternly.

“They are?” Haruhi murmured, blushing slightly and lowering her head under the gaze of the older woman. “ _I haven’t done anything wrong, so why am I blushing?_ ” she wondered.

In her most matronly voice, Miku asked, “Just what is your relationship to those six young men? I am familiar with their family names, but yours is completely unknown to me.”

“We’re friends,” Haruhi stated bluntly.

“Is that all?” Miku’s tone implied that it would be unwise to lie to her.

Haruhi took a deep breath. “Yes, we’re just friends. I may be a commoner, but I worked hard and earned a scholarship to Ouran Academy. I hadn’t planned on getting involved in any of the activities, just keeping my head down, getting grades good enough to qualify for scholarships to University.” 

She chuckled to herself. “On my first day, I was looking for a quiet place to study. You’d think that with three libraries, it would be easy, but no. I found what I thought was an empty room, but it turned out to be the meeting place for the Host Club. I accidently broke an expensive vase and agreed to work off the debt.”

Miku’s expression was displeased as she considered what type of ‘work’ elite family boys could want from a girl. She inquired, “How did they want you to work off the debt?”

At first, Haruhi was taken aback at her vehemence. “Oh no, nothing improper. I should explain. Because of my appearance, they thought I was a boy when they first met me. Here, I have a photo that Kyoya gave me that shows what I looked like that first day.” 

She pulled out her wallet and slipped a photo out of one of the slots. “Here is what I looked like: very short hair, big glasses, and dressed in slacks, a button-down shirt, and a sweater vest. Because I was a scholarship student and couldn’t afford the uniform, I was allowed to wear regular clothes. I’ve never paid a lot of attention to appearances. I figure it’s what’s inside that’s most important.”

Seeing Miku’s unconvinced expression, Haruhi pulled out her old middle school ID and continued, “My hair was short because a neighborhood boy put a huge wad of gum in my hair the day before school started. I tried lots of different things to get the gum out, but in the end, I just had to cut my hair. And I didn’t do a very good job.”

Miku’s face relaxed and she started to chuckle at the contract between the two pictures Haruhi showed her. “So what did they have you doing?”

“I was the Club Dog—running errands, cleaning up—that sort of thing. That is, until Tamaki saw me interacting so easily with the guests. He decided it would take less time to pay off my debt if I worked as a host. They supplied me with contacts and a uniform. They even fixed my awful haircut. They dubbed me the ‘Natural’ host because I could talk to anyone and set them at ease.”

“When did they figure out you were a girl?”

“Actually, Kyoya knew from the beginning. He has a frighteningly extensive information network. Over the course of the Host Club hours, they all figured it out in one way or another. Tamaki was the last one. It was kind of fun to watch the dawning realization on each of their faces.”

“So there’s nothing improper going on?” Miku inquired.

“No, nothing like that. A couple of them have expressed a desire for a romantic relationship, but I’m not interested right now. There are only two of them that I might consider later, but for now I have to keep my grades up to maintain my scholarship and I plan to become a lawyer like my mother.”

“That’s sensible and admirable. I’m sure your mother is very proud of you.”

Haruhi’s expression saddened. “I hope so. You see, she died when I was five. It’s just been my father and me for years.”

“Well, if you ever need any motherly advice, I’m here for you,” Miku whispered as she patted Haruhi’s hand.

Miku and Haruhi were startled when Dai opened the kitchen door and announced, “We’re back.”

Placing her hand on her chest, Miku chastised, “What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?”

Dai looked sheepish. “You looked so deep in conversation I thought I better let you know we were here so we didn’t intrude on any ‘womanly secrets’.”

Takashi spoke quietly, “Haruhi, we should get going. It’s almost time for dinner.”

“Now he speaks,” Dai chuckled. “That young man doesn’t say much, but the animals just love him. I actually had to put the chickens in the henhouse and fasten the door. They were all trying to follow him home.”

The corner of Takashi’s mouth quirked, hinting at a smile, and his eyes twinkled.

Haruhi stood up and said, “Thank you, Dai and Miku, for having us over. Hopefully we’ll see more of you in the future.”

“We’ll walk you to the door,” Dai replied, gesturing for the young people to precede him.

At the front door, Haruhi and Takashi slipped on their shoes.

“Thank you for the visit,” Haruhi said, smiling at the older couple.

“Don’t be strangers,” Miku replied.

As Takashi closed the door behind them, he heard Dai ask, “Did you find out what you wanted to know?” He paused to hear Miku’s reply. “Yes. There’s nothing untoward going on. Just a bunch of school friends. I’ll tell you the story over dinner.”

Taking a few long strides to catch up to Haruhi, Takashi asked, “Did you have a good talk with Miku?”

“Yes. She’s really sweet and very motherly,” she answered wistfully. After a couple steps, she added, “You know, despite what Dai said, you have been talking a lot more lately.”

He considered for a moment before replying, “I hadn’t thought about it, but you’re right. At least around the Host Club and Hinansho.”

“Well, I for one, like hearing your voice more.”

They walked in comfortable silence for a minute. Haruhi remember that Takashi wanted to talk to her about Mitsukuni. She asked, “You’re worried about Mitsukuni, aren’t you?”

Takashi sighed and looked up at the sky. “He has been acting…different lately. He’s been irritable and complaining of headaches, nausea, and blurry vision. He insists that it’s just stress from adjusting to university, I’m beginning to worry.”

“Have you suggested seeing a doctor?” Haruhi inquired pensively.

Taking a deep breath, Takashi replied, “I did. Mitsukuni didn’t speak to me for a week afterwards. It made things…tense in the apartment.”

Haruhi stopped walking and placed a hand on his arm. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Takashi closed his eyes and relished her touch as he considered what to say. “I just don’t know.”

“Does he have Usa-chan with him at University?”

“No, he doesn’t dare. His father and brother tend to stop by unannounced when they’re visiting the nearby dojo. The last thing Mitsukuni wants is for them to find out he still has Usa-chan.”

“That makes sense.”

“Maybe if you keep sending him text messages? I’ve noticed that he tends to calm down when he reads them.”

“I can do that.” Glancing around, she said, “We’d better get to dinner.

“Yes, we don’t want the others to come looking for us,” Takashi smiled and quirked an eyebrow as Haruhi shuddered at the thought.

<OHSHC>

After dinner, the hosts gathered in Hikaru’s apartment. Tamaki paced the floor, swinging his arms wildly. “We need to come up with a FANTASTIC cosplay for Halloween. Does anyone have any suggestions?”

“Toy Story,” Mitsukuni shouted. “We could dress up like the different toys.”

“Given how rabid Disney is about its copyrights, we’d have to buy off-the-rack and I just can’t wear mass-produced polyester,” Hikaru responded. “What about Star Wars?”

“We’ve done that,” Tamaki said dismissively. “How about Harry Potter?”

“Done that,” Kyoya stated. He swiped through several screens on his phone. “Zombies are popular this year.”

“Well, there are two ways they can be done, realistic or campy. The realistic ones would be way too gross. We don’t want to traumatize the ladies,” Haruhi pointed out. “As for the campy ones, I just can’t see you guys in ratty, shredded old clothes any more than mass-produced polyester. Do you have any ideas, Takashi?”

He pondered for a minute. “Vampires and werewolves are popular right now too.”

Tamaki scoffed. “That’s what everybody is doing these days. But I’ll keep it in mind if nothing better comes up.”

“What about Howl’s Moving Castle?” Haruhi asked.

“Not enough good characters. No, no, no. I want something new and unusual. Something that captures the imagination and the spirit of Halloween,” Tamaki whined.

“I’VE GOT IT!” Kaoru shouted, jumping to his feet. “Let’s do ‘Princess Bride.’ The ladies will love it.”

Kyoya cocked his head in thought. “That is a sound idea.”

“YES,” Tamaki shouted, pumping his fist. “We have our Halloween cosplay.”

Hikaru interrupted Tamaki’s overly enthusiastic reaction. “Kaoru and I can easily get the costumes ready in time. Who will be dressing which part?”

Tamaki shifted his theatrics. “Well, of course, Haruhi will be sweet, demure Princess Buttercup.”

“That’s kind of playing against type,” she responded.

“What a great idea!” Kaoru interjected. “We can each play against type. Hikaru and I can be the rivals, Count Rugen and Inigo Montoya. Mitsukuni can play Vizzini, the scheming mastermind. Takashi will be Fezzik, the brawler-for-dollars thug. Tamaki will be the heartless and cruel Prince Humperdink, while Kyoya plays good-hearted Farmboy Wesley in his Dread Pirate Roberts disguise.”

“Wow,” Haruhi admitted. “This didn’t take as long as I expected. I figured we be at it for hours. Now we have time for some fun.”

Tamaki waved for everyone’s attention. “Before we decide how to spend our evening, I’d like to announce that I have reserved Hinansho for December 22nd through the 28th for the First Annual Hinan Family Christmas. I asked Shima to tell all the employees that, during that time, they can either go visit their families or have their families come here.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Takashi praised.

“I also want to have a Christmas Eve party for everyone on the estate and even invite the Ootas.”

“What about those of us who have obligations on Christmas Eve?” Kyoya protested. “You know that the Otori Group always has its Annual Christmas Gala on Christmas Eve. My father has already been complaining about how much Host Club activities have been interfering with family duties.”

“What about Christmas Day?” Tamaki offered.

“The Hitachiin Family Gathering is on Christmas Day,” Hikaru answered.

“The same with the Haninozuka-Morinozuka Gathering,” Mitsukuni added.

“My dad and I always visit my mom’s grave on Christmas Day,” Haruhi said.

“Why not the day after Christmas?” Takashi asked.

“Yeah, that could work,” Kaoru seconded.

Tamaki looked pensive. “That…sounds like a really good idea.” He got more excited as he thought about it. “With all the family obligations taken care of, we’ll have more time to celebrate and have fun together.”

“Maybe we could invite the Oota’s children and grandchildren to come for a visit?” Haruhi suggested. “I’ll ask Hibiki to help me make all the arrangements and then we can surprise them.”

“I think the Ootas would like that,” Takashi agreed.

Mitsukuni piped up, “Their kids and grandkids could stay here at Hinansho, since there’s plenty of room for everybody.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Tamaki smiled broadly. 

Just then, Kyoya’s phone rang. “It’s my father. I have to take this call.” He walked over to the far corner of the room.

“Hello?”

“Kyoya, I expect you in my office within the hour,” Yoshio growled, the irritation was evident in his voice.

“The Host Club is just wrapping up the planning meeting for the remainder of the year,” Kyoya responded levelly.

“I don’t care,” Yoshio snapped. “I want to see you here in my office within the hour.”

Trying to keep his own irritation in check, Kyoya said, “Very well. I’ll have Tachibana bring the car around.”

“Don’t be late.” *CLICK*

Kyoya sighed. “I guess I’d better get going.” He sent a quick text to Tachibana.

*****Father wants to see me in his office right away. Please bring the car around.*****

Haruhi looked in his direction and saw the downcast look on his face before he could hide it. “What’s the matter?” she asked, laying a hand on his arm.

“My father wants to see me in his office right away. I’ll see you all at school.” Kyoya turned and headed out the door to gather his things from him apartment.

_“I hope things will be okay,”_ Haruhi thought as she watched him walk out the door.

Kyoya looked up to see Tachibana waiting in the hallway. “I thought I would meet you out front.”

Tachibana looked at him and gave him a tight smile. “I figured you might need help with your bags. The tone on your text implied that your time living here at Hinansho had come to an end.”

“Very perceptive. Father sounded none too happy with me, though I’m not entirely sure if it is because of the time I spend with the Host Club or just because I’m not at home under his thumb.” Kyoya unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside. He didn’t bother turning on the light because everything he needed was sitting right inside the door.

Handing two bags to Tachibana, he picked up the remaining two, pulled the door closed, and locked it. “I’m going to miss this place. Thanks for moving your family here. I appreciate your willingness to help me stay here.” Kyoya sighed as he led the way to the elevator.

Once the bags were loaded in the car, Tachibana held open the passenger door. Kyoya looked at him questioningly. “If things are going to be as bad as you anticipate, I think we need to talk through some things on the drive.”

Reluctantly, Kyoya climbed into the car and fastened his seatbelt. Tachibana walked around and climbed in the driver’s side. As he started the car, he asked, “Are you still going to be able to conduct the negotiations for the clinic?”

Sitting up straighter, Kyoya said, “I won’t be able to work on it at home. I probably shouldn’t even access my Hinan family accounts because that would leave traces on the home server and I know security reports any anomalies to Father. That will also restrict my investment research to what I want him to know about. I won’t even be able to use my laptop at school for those things because it will sync as soon as I get home. Could you buy me another laptop that I could keep at school? I’ll have Kosaku transfer the funds from my Hinan account to yours.”

“I can do that. At least we’ll have the drive to and from school to discuss Hinan family matters. It’s a good thing that I’ll be looking into Cormorant Construction and the piece of property west of Hinansho so you don’t have to worry about that.” Tachibana kept his eyes on the road, knowing that Kyoya was uncomfortable sitting in the front seat, given his upbringing.

“Hopefully the school network will be secure enough for the clinic negotiations. If not, maybe I can pass you messages to get to Fuyumi so she can take it on.” Kyoya was sullen as he imagined having to pass up the opportunity to negotiate such a prime investment. He heaved a sigh and looked out the window.

After a few moments of silence, Tachibana said, “Just let me know if you need anything else and I’ll do what I can.”

As the car pulled through the gates of the Otori estate, Kyoya sat up straighter and fixed his stoic mask in place. “Thanks. You don’t know how much that means to me,” he murmured just loud enough for Tachibana to hear him.

Tachibana gave a small, almost imperceptible nod in response. As he got out and walked around the car to open the door for Kyoya, he slid his own aloof mask into place. “ _Never know who might be watching that would report too-familiar behavior back to Yoshio.”_

“Please take my bags to my room,” was all Kyoya said before heading to his father’s office. “ _At least I’m here well within the hour he demanded,_ ” Kyoya thought sourly.

Kyoya rapped on the door to his father’s office. When he heard “Come in,” he opened the door and walked to stand in front of Yoshio’s massive desk. Standing ramrod straight, he waited for his father to acknowledge his presence. “ _Ever the power plays,”_ Kyoya mused.

_“So he finally decided to show his face here at home. I can only imagine what people would think if they knew he was consorting with unknowns. I’ll have to put a stop to that.”_ Finally, Yoshio looked up from the papers on his desk. “Well, have you completed your investigation into your investment account?” he demanded.

“Yes, Father, I have. I was able to determine that my new fiscal agent, Mr. Okuda, was skimming. He used the lowest yielding investment as a strike point and drew off returns from all the other investments that were in excess of that lowest yield. I don’t know how he thought he would get away with it. I contacted Mr. Asano, my retired fiscal agent, to help me prefer criminal charges against Mr. Okuda. I also filed a civil suit for restitution of the embezzled funds. Mr. Okuda’s assets are currently frozen with my claim as primary.”

_“Is he implying that it’s my fault that his new fiscal agent was a crook? I’ll have to review the vetting procedures to be sure something like this doesn’t happen again,”_ Yoshio thought sourly. Aloud, he said, “Will Mr. Asano be acting as your fiscal agent again?”

“No, his health is poor, so he provided me with dossiers on three agents he believes are of the highest caliber. I have interviews scheduled with them on Wednesday. I hope to have a new agent in place by Thursday, because I have two lucrative investments that I want to close on next week.”

“I’m glad that is cleared up. I trust your returns will improve. So now you’ll be able to spend more time at home, no more running off that that office at the Hinan estate.” Yoshio’s lip twitched as he tried to hide a smirk, “ _That should put him in his place.”_

“Yes, sir,” Kyoya answered, noncommittally.

“Now you can spend time here at home and be available for family functions and business. Other than school, any exceptions will need to be approved at least one week in advance. That includes business meetings and Host Club activities.”

“What about my interviews on Wednesday? Will I need to re-schedule those in order to provide one-week advance notice?”

“No, I will allow those. However, anything from this point on must be approved first.”

“The Host Club Halloween and Christmas parties have already been planned, but not I do not always get advance notice of other Host Club activities. Tamaki is too spontaneous for that,” Kyoya stated, looking for loopholes in his father’s directive.

_“Oh no, you need to learn who is in charge here. I will control your movements and activities for awhile, until you learn some respect.”_ Yoshio countered, “Then you will have to miss out on those. Let me be clear: when you are not at school, you will be here on the Otori estate. The only exceptions will be appointments I schedule for you and activities approved at least one week in advance.” Yoshio stood and leaned forward with his hands on the desk. “Any questions?” Despite the interrogatory words, his tone brooked no argument.

“No, sir,” Kyoya answered as expected, though inside he was seething.

“Dismissed.”

Kyoya stiffly bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement and exited the office. “ _Well, that went about as expected…other than essentially being placed under house arrest.”_


	3. Storm Clouds Rising

After dropping Kyoya at Ouran, Tachibana headed to the Public Records Office. “ _I need to research Cormorant Construction. That name sounds familiar but I can’t remember why._ ”

After an hour of extremely enlightening reading, Tachibana packed up his notes. Thanking the clerk for her assistance, he headed for the surveyor’s office. “ _I wonder how Cormorant Construction has not made headlines with all of the questionable business practices they’ve been involved in. I hope there’s enough time this afternoon between classes and Host Club hours to cover everything.”_

It was a short drive to the surveyor’s office, near the courthouse. When the receptionist at the surveyor’s office greeted him, he responded, “Good morning. My name is Seizaburo Tachibana and I need to arrange a survey of some property for the Hinan family. Here are my credentials as their agent.” He handed the notarized paperwork to the receptionist.

“Please wait here, I will see if Mr. Nakamura is available.”

Tachibana didn’t have long to wait before she returned, handed him his documents, and said, “Please follow me.”

She led him down a short hall to an office wallpapered in maps and almost every flat surface covered in piles of paper.

“Good morning. I am Taishi Nakamura.” He offered his hand to Tachibana.

“Good morning. I am Seizaburo Tachibana.”

Taishi gestured to a chair that was the only unoccupied flat surface and said, “Please, have a seat.”

Tachibana settled gingerly into the chair, trying to avoid causing an avalanche of papers from the nearby piles.

“Miss Hirose informs me that you need some property surveyed for the Hinan family. Where exactly is the property located?”

“Do you remember the embezzlement and fraud scandal last spring about a resort?”

“Yes, I remember that property. Such a shame for it to get tangled up in all that mess.”

“The Hinan family purchased it as their home estate. An interest in arranging an option on the farm to the east and activity at a development in process on the west have the family wondering if there might be other irregularities with their property. To set their minds at ease, they have tasked me with arranging to have the Hinan property surveyed. They also obtained permission from Dai Oota, the owner of the farm to the east, to have the farm surveyed as well.”

“I see. That should be a straight-forward job, easily completed in a few hours. Do you have a particular day in mind?”

“Would Wednesday be possible? The Hinan family would like to have their legal advisor present, just in case there are irregularities that she will need to deal with.”

Mr. Nakamura picked up his tablet and tapped a few screens. “My crew and I are available on Wednesday. Would one o’clock work?”

Tachibana looked at his watch and noted that Haruhi should be at lunch so he would get a prompt answer to his text. “I shall inquire.”

*****Surveyor Wednesday. Can you arrange to miss afternoon classes?*****

A minute later, Tachibana’s phone *dinged* with a response.

*****Will do.*****

“Wednesday at one o’clock will be fine,” Tachibana reported.

<OHSHC>

Tachibana arrived at Ouran about fifteen minutes before classes let out for the day. He made his way to Music Room Three and pulled out his notes regarding Cormorant Construction. “ _This meeting could get very interesting,_ ” Tachibana mused.

Kyoya walked through the door twenty minutes later and greeted him. “Tachibana, I take it you had a productive day?”

“It was quite productive and every illuminating.”

Kyoya took a seat at the table, but before they could continue their conversation, the door slammed open and Tamaki entered. “…not fair that you two get to spend all day with her and I barely ever get to see her. She’s my friend, too.”

“We never said you weren’t. We just said that we were going to offer her a ride home because we need to work on a class project together,” Hikaru retorted.

“It’s not like we’re asking her out on a date,” Kaoru interjected. “She’s already told us she’s not interested in us romantically.”

Tamaki huffed in exasperation and flopped into the seat next to Kyoya at the table. Kyoya just rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the notes Tachibana handed to him. Hikaru and Kaoru took seats across the table from Tamaki.

The door opened again and Haruhi entered, engrossed in a phone call. “…conference call?” She paused to listen. “Okay, call me tonight when you’re available and I’ll fill you in on the gist of the meeting.” Another pause. “I’ve made arrangements with my afternoon classes so I can be there for the surveying on Wednesday. I’ll touch base with my contact in the courthouse tomorrow to apprise the judge of the possibility that we may need to file some real estate-related documents.”

She settled into a chair at the table as she paused to listen once again. “Okay. I look forward to your call tonight. Bye, Takashi.”

Everyone at the table stared at Haruhi as she put her phone away. “What?” she asked, puzzled. “I just called to see if Mitsukuni and Takashi would be available to listen in on the meeting. They can’t because Mitsukuni has a lab and Takashi has study group. Takashi will call me tonight when they are available and I’ll fill them in on what we discuss.”

Tachibana tried to hide is smile. _“That girl has them wrapped around her fingers and she doesn’t even realize it.”_ He cleared his throat and said, “Shall we get started?”

“What did you find out about Cormorant Construction? I know I’ve heard the name but I can’t remember where,” Kaoru requested.

“Well, you should recognize the name, given they were the reason for the loss of the Hitachiin Spring Line four years ago,” Tachibana said.

Hikaru whistled. “Oh yeah. Mom was livid about that. Ageha had just been born so Mom didn’t have time to replace the prototypes and fabrics lost in the warehouse collapse.”

Kaoru added, “There were other details that Dad and Mom didn’t tell us about, but I remember walking around on eggshells for weeks until Dad could get Mom to calm down. I think I even overheard her threatening to flay the responsible party alive and use his skin for her next line.”

Waving a hand dismissively, Hikaru interjected, in falsetto, “But vermin is never ‘in’.”

Everyone snickered at the twins’ antics.

Kyoya snapped his fingers. “Of course. The clinic site that was inexplicably re-assigned to be a warehouse. That’s where I’ve heard that name before.”

“That’s the one,” Tachibana confirmed. “The inferior foundation laid by Cormorant Construction made a clinic impossible on that site. Cormorant was released for breach of contract and another construction firm was brought in. They determined it would be more cost effective to build a warehouse on the existing foundation than to tear out the inferior foundation and start again. At least a new clinic location was found that proved to be adequate.”

“I remember Father tried for months to file suit against Cormorant, but the evidence of wrong doing was too circumstantial. In the end, the worst he could do was blackball them,” Kyoya supplied.

“The same with Mom,” Kaoru interjected. “It was obvious that the warehouse did not meet contract standards and it deviated substantially from the approved blueprints, but the owner of Cormorant blamed subcontractors and employees for unauthorized substitutions and shortcuts.”

Tachibana picked up his notes to add what else his research had yielded. “They have a history of substandard construction, inferior materials, failure to pay employees, and bribing or blackmailing officials to get their work through inspections. There is even speculation that they purchase quality materials, bill clients for those materials, then substitute inferior materials in construction while selling the quality materials and pocketing the money.”

He shook his head in dismay. “I can’t believe them been able to get away with this. In each case, there is either not enough concrete evidence or the injured party is too embarrassed at creating a media spectacle to do anything about it.”

Kaoru snickered. “Concrete evidence…”

Before Tachibana could continue, his phone rang. “I need to take this, it’s Hinansho.”

The Host Club sat quietly and listened intently to his side of the conversation.

“Tachibana here.” He paused as the caller explained the purpose of the call. “You’re certain?” Another pause. “I concur. Twenty-four hour guards, at least three per shift. And make the shifts six hours rather than eight for maximum alertness.” He frowned during the next pause. “I’ll check the roster and schedule when I get there. Please advise the local police force of the situation so they are in the loop if anyone notices the additional activity. I will return within the hour.”

Ending the call, he looked around at the Host Club. “A routine perimeter check just found about ten meters of plantings on the west side of Hinansho torn up. There is also some minor damage to the west side of the hedge maze in the formal garden.”

Haruhi’s voice was hard. “It’s possible that Hinansho was built partially on the land Cormorant is developing, but you’d think they would have notified us. Right now, it looks like it’s a good thing we have the surveyor scheduled for Wednesday.” 

She made several notes and continued, “I will call Judge Ryuzaki’s clerk tomorrow, explain the situation with the boundary questions, and make sure the judge understands that I may be calling on Wednesday to file documents depending on what the survey reveals. I’m really glad I spent that time at the courthouse during my internship this summer. It looks like the contacts I made will be invaluable.”

Kyoya addressed Tachibana, “Be sure to set up video surveillance of the area from at least three different angles. Call me if additional personnel are needed.”

Tamaki glanced at the clock. “Have we finished all the business we need for now? It’s almost time for the ladies to start coming.”

Chuckling dryly, Tachibana said, “We’ve covered more than I had planned.”

Kyoya stood, his expression solemn. “Before we dismiss this meeting, I need to inform all of you that my father has placed restrictions on my activities. When I am not here at school, I have to be on the Otori estate. The only exceptions are meetings or events that have been pre-approved at least one week in advance.”

The other hosts were stunned at his announcement. Haruhi was the first to recover from the shock and she growled, “He basically has you under house arrest!?!?!”

_“It really seems like she cares about me,”_ Kyoya thought. Trying to keep his stoic mask in place, he avoided that line of thinking and responded, “It’s not all that bad. I just won’t be able to participate in any spontaneous activities.”

Haruhi took a deep breath, trying to keep her seething anger in check. “ _It’s not his fault. He’s putting on a good—well, brave—face for our sakes. I hate that Yoshio is doing this to him.”_

Surprisingly, it was Tamaki who took charge, and brought attention back to the matters at hand. He said calmly, “Thank you, Tachibana, for the report on Cormorant Construction and the situation at Hinansho. Kyoya, thank you for apprising us of your…reduced availability. We will discuss that later, mon ami.”

He paused and then clapped his hands together. “Right now, we need to prepare to entertain our princesses, because they will be here in less than ten minutes.”

Everyone murmured their ‘Thanks’ to Tachibana as he gathered his notes and exited Music Room Three.

<OHSHC>

Haruhi had just finished her homework when her phone rang. Looking at the number, she answered, “Mitsukuni, how was lab?”

“It was fun. We’re learning all the muscles and how they work. Today we were studying hands. They are fascinating. Even with as much as I learned through karate and judo, there’s so much more to learn.”

“It’s wonderful that you’re enjoying University. You’ll have to tell me all about it when you come for the Halloween cosplay.”

“I’m looking forward to it. I really miss you.” There was no mistaking the longing in his voice.

“Are you and Takashi ready to hear about the meeting this afternoon?”

Mitsukuni sounded embarrassed as he said, “Actually, Takashi isn’t here yet. I called early because I wanted to hear your voice.”

“Oh, Mitsukuni,” Haruhi responded, concern evident in her voice. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You already are. You answer whenever I call and you don’t mind talking about whatever topics come up.”

Haruhi smiled to herself. “I enjoy our conversations immensely. It’s actually fun to start a conversation talking about cake ingredients and somehow wind our way from physics to history and around to which teams will be playing in the World Series.”

In the background of the call, Haruhi heard a door open and close. Mitsukuni’s voice was muffled as he turned away from the phone. “Takashi, you’re home. I’m talking to Haruhi. Let me put the phone on speaker and then she can tell us about the meeting.”

Hearing the shift in the phone sounds, Haruhi said, “Takashi, I hope your study group went well.”

“It was very helpful.”

Mitsukuni piped up, “So, what happened in the meeting? Was it just about Cormorant?”

“Well, it was supposed to be—and in a way, it mostly was. Tachibana found that they have very questionable business practices. Hikaru, Kaoru, and Kyoya had all heard of them because the Hitachiin and Otori families dealt with Cormorant in the past.”

Takashi spoke up, “Our families never used them because their bids did not address the work required. They would just state the price they would charge.”

Mitsukuni added, “Their bids were always the lowest, but, because they didn’t outline what the bid covered, we never knew if they really understood the scope of the project.”

“Good to know. Anyway, Tachibana received a call from Hinansho during the meeting. Apparently, Cormorant had ripped out ten meters of plantings on the west side, right up the hedge maze in the formal garden.”

Haruhi heard an angry huff from Takashi and a low whistle from Mitsukuni.

“Needless to say, special security shifts were arranged to protect that side.”

“I’ll text Tachibana that he can call me if more personnel are needed,” Takashi interjected.

“Good idea, Takashi,” Mitsukuni praised. “I was just about to say the same thing.”

Haruhi waited to see if either of them wanted to say anything more.

Takashi broke the silence. “Was that everything?”

“No. I will be calling Ms. Ueno, Judge Ryuzaki’s clerk, in the morning to lay the groundwork for any legal documents we may need following the survey results on Wednesday. I already told Takashi that I arranged to take the afternoon off from school so I can be at Hinansho for the surveying.”

“Are you expecting trouble?” Mitsukuni asked, concern coloring his voice.

“Not really. I just want to be there in case Hinansho has encroached on the Oota farm or the Cormorant construction site.”

“Or vice versa,” Takashi interjected.

“Yeah, that too,” Haruhi chuckled. “Will you to be available Wednesday afternoon so we can include you on the conference call when we report the results of the survey?”

Haruhi could image the cousins looking at each other, having a silent conversation. 

“Yes, we’ll make arrangements to be available.” Then Mitsukuni asked, “Was that everything?”

Haruhi got quiet. Takashi and Mitsukuni knew immediately that something was wrong.

“What happened?” Takashi almost whispered. “ _I hope it’s nothing too bad,_ ” he thought.

The two young men heard Haruhi draw a deep breath and they braced for the worst.

“Kyoya announced that, except when he’s at school, he has to be at the Otori estate. The only exceptions will be meetings or events pre-approved at least one week in advance.” She paused to steady her voice.

Mitsukuni and Takashi could hear the emotion choking her words. “He’s practically under house arrest. He doesn’t deserve that,” she finished in an almost whisper.

“No, he doesn’t,” Takashi growled softly.

“Why? Why would Yoshio do that?” Mitsukuni asked, his voice hard.

Haruhi sighed. “I don’t know. Kyoya refuses to talk about it.”

“You’re worried about him,” Takashi stated rather than asked.

“Is it that obvious?” She sniffed quietly, trying to regain control of her emotions.

Mitsukuni laughed mirthlessly. “Yoshio’s treatment of Kyoya was probably the biggest impetus for you establishing the Hinan family. We all know that. I’m sure we’re all worried. Just know that we’re here if ever you need us.”

From Haruhi’s side of the phone call, there was the sound of a door slamming open and a body hitting the wall. “Dad’s home—and it sounds like someone was generously buying drinks for the house tonight. He’s none too steady on his feet. I’d better help him get to bed before he hurts himself.”

“Okay. Good night, Haruhi,” Mitsukuni said, and then yawned. “Sorry,” he added, sheepishly.

“No need to be sorry. Just go get some sleep, Mitsukuni,” Haruhi said softly.

Takashi’s voice was serious. “Remember, we’re here if you need us. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.”

Haruhi could hear the good-natured rebuke, as well as the affection, behind his words. “Thank you. I will—really, I will. Goodnight.”

<OHSHC>

Haruhi was waiting on the front steps of Ouran when Atsuhiro arrived at noon to pick her up. At the questioning look on her face, he said, “Tachibana wanted to tour the damaged area on the west side one more time before the surveyor arrived, so he sent me to pick you up. Not disappointed, I hope?”

Haruhi laughed at Atsuhiro’s quirked eyebrow and teasing expression as she climbed into the car. “I’m not disappointed, just surprised. Tachibana usually texts me if there’s a change of plans.”

“My fault,” Atsuhiro replied. “I was supposed to text you but I forgot that I don’t have your contact information programmed into my phone.”

Seeing his phone in its dashboard bracket, she gestured to it and said, “May I?”

“Be my guest. It should still be unlocked. I had to use the GPS to get around a huge traffic snarl on my way here.”

She deftly slipped the phone out, entered her information, and returned it to its bracket before Atsuhiro made it to the front gate of Ouran.

The ride to Hinansho was comfortable silence as Atsuhiro concentrated on his driving and Haruhi contemplated the potential scenarios that might be awaiting her at the estate. “ _Hopefully, there are no discrepancies and this all just be a formality.”_

As they turned into the gate at Hinansho, Atsuhiro said, “I’ll drop you off at the front door and then head around to the garage.”

“Thanks for the ride. Oh, it looks like Tachibana and the survey crew are waiting for me.” Haruhi climbed out of the car as soon as it stopped.

Waving, Atsuhiro called, “See you at dinner.” Then he drove away.

Tachibana stepped forward and greeted Haruhi. “So glad you could make it. This is Taishi Nakamura, Koji Sanada, and Ryota Watari.”

“Mr. Nakamura, good to see you again.” Haruhi offered her hand.

“Please, I asked you to call me Taishi,” he replied, shaking her hand firmly. “And, of course, you remember my crew, Koji and Ryota. Shall we get started?”

“By all means. Shall we begin with the Oota farm?”

For the next hour, Haruhi followed the survey crew, intrigued by their precision and silent interactions as they compared maps to the readings from the equipment. She was fascinated by their deft coordination on the job. Finally, they arrived at the west side of Hinansho.

“Well, everything so far has been exactly as it should be,” Taishi commented. “I hear that this is the real test of things.” He gestured to the ten meters of disturbed ground, three security guards, and the scowling construction crew.

Haruhi began to worry as Tachibana pulled out his phone to begin recording as Taishi and his crew checked, and re-checked measurements. Their silent interactions gave way to a conference comparing maps and instrument readings. Taishi pulled out a small computer and entered several sets of data. Frowning, he gestured for Tachibana to join them.

Intrigued, Haruhi walked over to hear what they were discussing.

“…no mistake. We’ve measured and check the data three times. They are fifteen meters onto Hinan property,” Taishi stated quietly.

Tachibana frowned. “And you’re sure they did it deliberately?”

“There’s absolutely no doubt. The official survey stakes from the division of the original farm are still in place and visible.”

Haruhi spoke up, “I take it I need to make a phone call?”

Taishi nodded grimly. “The sooner the better, given the scowl on the foreman’s face and the fact he’s headed over here.”

“If you are finished playing around, we need to get back to work,” the foreman sneered.

Haruhi looked him over dismissively. “You will not be doing any more work on this piece of land. The survey has determined that you are fifteen meters beyond your property line. I am requesting an immediate cease-and-desist order.” 

She pulled out her phone, set it to speakerphone mode, and dialed. “Miss Ueno, I need to speak to Judge Ryuzaki.”

“Miss Fujioka, we’ve been expecting your call. Please hold while I connect you.”

After a few seconds pause, a pleasant male voice said, “This is Judge Ryuzaki. How can I help you, Miss Fujioka?”

“We need an immediate cease-and-desist order against Cormorant Construction. They have already damaged fifteen meters of Hinan property.”

“I can issue it right away, but it needs to be served by an officer of the court.”

The Cormorant foreman started to grin. “ _I can take care of that. I know how to dodge being served with a court order.”_

“That will not be a problem. Taishi Nakamura, the surveyor, is here.” Haruhi beckoned for Taishi to step closer so he could address the judge.

“Good working with you again, Judge Ryuzaki. As evidence for the file backing the order, I already emailed maps, photos, and readings taken today. Your clerk should have it any moment now.” In the background of the call, the sounds of a door opened and papers being placed on the judge’s desk could be heard.

“I have them now. I just signed the order and my clerk will fax the order to the Hinan office in a few minutes.”

The look on the foreman’s face turned sour as he listened to his chances of success rapidly deteriorating. “ _They can’t do this to me. I’ve worked too hard and have too much invested to be thwarted now.”_

Tachibana motioned to one of the security guards. “Please call the office and have a three- man security detail bring the order here.” Before he finished speaking, the construction crew started to move.

“You can’t do this to me, you little brat!” the foreman growled as he lunged at Haruhi.

At his outburst, Haruhi looked up. There was a very brief scuffle as Tachibana grabbed the man, threw him to the ground, and planted a knee in his back. He didn’t get anywhere near Haruhi but Taishi pulled her behind himself protectively.

In the whirlwind of activity in the next five minutes, Koji called for the local police, Ryota stood guard over the surveying equipment, and the security guards subdued the remaining construction crew.

“…west boundary of Hinansho. The Cormorant Construction six-man crew just attacked the registered agent and legal advisor for the Hinan family, but Hinan security has subdued them.” There was a brief pause as Koji listened to the questions from the dispatcher. “Judge Ryuzaki just issued a cease-and-desist order because Cormorant had encroached on Hinan property.” After a brief pause, Koji ended the call and announced to the group, “The police will be here in about ten minutes.”

Just then, the security detail dispatched with the cease-and-desist order appeared around the corner of the hedge maze. Tachibana gestured to the detained construction crew and two of the detail peeled off to help the other security guards monitor the detained crew.

The third man handed a small sheaf of papers to Taishi and then went to relieve Tachibana of his detainee.

“Are you okay?” Tachibana asked Haruhi worriedly.

She smiled. “I’m just fine. It looks like I have my work cut out for me though. Now, in addition to filing suit against Cormorant Construction for the damages to Hinansho, I will be filing charges of assault and battery against the foreman and crew.”

Tachibana just shook his head. “ _That girl is something else_. _Those men, and especially the foreman, didn’t intimidate her at all._ ” He bent to pick up his phone dropped in the scuffle. He checked to be sure it still functioned and then started playback of the video he had been recording.

“What do you have there?” Haruhi asked, noticing his grin.

He handed the phone to her so she could watch the video. “Well, they won’t be able to weasel their way out of this evidence. Good thinking.”

“This will be in addition to the security cameras that Kyoya directed to be set up. Of course, this has sound which those don’t,” Tachibana replied.

<OHSHC>

“Since we have an hour before classes finish at Ouran for the day and we can call the Host Club to report the results, I’m going to talk to Kosaku. He’s going to help me sign up for the online accounting, finance, and investment classes I want. Hopefully I have enough in my Hinan account to cover them,” Haruhi said as they walked back to the main house.

Tachibana smiled at her. “ _Even when she takes an afternoon off from school, she’s thinking about classes and learning.”_ Aloud he said, “I’ll come get you when we’re ready to place the call.”

Haruhi walked up to the front desk. “Good afternoon, Hibiki. Kosaku said he would help me sign up for online classes.”

Hibiki smiled and replied, “He told me to expect you and bring you back to his office. Come on.” She motioned for her assistant to take over the front desk duties while she accompanied Haruhi.

A few minutes later Hibiki knocked softly on the Accounting office door.

“Come in,” called a muffled voice.

Hibiki opened the door and they stepped inside. 

“Well, I wasn’t expecting you quite so early. I take it everything went well?” Kosaku asked.

Haruhi smirked and replied, “That depends on your point of view.”

Kosaku saved the file he was working on and locked his computer. “It sounds like there’s a story there. Shall we sit here around the table and I’ll get some refreshments from Kairi.”

“You two stay here and talk. I’ll get the refreshments,” Hibiki offered.

Haruhi watched her leave. “Your wife really is very sweet. I’m glad she’s come out of her shell more.”

A soft expression suffused Kosaku’s face as he replied, “She really likes it here. Her work has boosted her confidence and she’s more comfortable with meeting new people now.”

“ _Someday I want to find someone who gets that kind of expression on his face when he thinks of me,”_ Haruhi thought longingly. “ _But not until I finish my schooling and become a lawyer.”_

Shaking his head to clear his head and bring his attention back to the conversation at hand, Kosaku said, “So, tell me how the surveying went. Any surprises?”

“Well, everything is fine with the Oota farm and, by extension, the east boundary of Hinansho. The north and south boundaries are fine as well.”

“I hear a ‘but’ coming,” Kosaku prompted.

Chuckling, Haruhi continued, “But…Cormorant Construction was fifteen meters onto Hinansho on the west side. And it was deliberate because the survey stakes from the division of the original farm were in place and as well as in plain view.”

“You mean it was even more than security found on Monday?” Kosaku was incredulous at the nerve of Cormorant to try and blatantly steal land like that.

“Oh, and it gets even better. The foreman tried to attack me when I called for the cease-and-desist order. Tachibana never even let him get close. The look on the guy’s face was kind of funny, as well as seeing Tachibana kneeling in the middle of the guy’s back. Of course, now I have to file assault charges against the foreman and crew, as well as a civil suit for damages to the fifteen meters of our land.”

Kosaku chuckled. “Looks like that internship of yours is really paying off. Tachibana and Shima keep telling me that you are a force to be reckoned with.”

Hibiki returned and set the tray in the middle of the table. “All Kairi would give me was tea and strawberries. ‘It’s too close to dinner,’ he said.”

“It’s fine,” Kosaku assured, catching Hibiki’s hand and kissing it while giving her an amorous look.

She blushed and reluctantly pulled her hand away. “Behave yourself. We have company.” She inclined her head towards Haruhi who was grinning at the young married couple.

Kosaku sighed, “You’re right, of course. Now we need to get down to the business of getting you registered for those classes you want.” He stood up and walked back to his desk. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a folder and brought it back to the table.

He handed the file to Haruhi. “This is information that I printed out for you. It includes the syllabi and requirements for the three courses you want. However, I noticed that they have some pre-requites.”

“Does that mean I won’t be able to do it?” Haruhi asked, deflating slightly.

“Oh, you can do it. I have no doubt at all that you can do it. It just means you need to do a few other things first. The accounting course requires a math class, the finance course requires a computer class, and the finance course requires a writing class,” Kosaku explained.

“Wow, that’s a lot classes to take while I have all my regular schoolwork. I’d hate to let my grade slip and lose my scholarship.” Haruhi sighed dejectedly.

“Actually, there are challenge tests you can take to get credit without taking the whole class. The pre-requisites are there to be sure you have certain basic skills before you begin the more advanced work. I included information on the challenge tests. Given your standing at Ouran, I have no doubt it would take very little extra work to pass the challenge tests.”

Haruhi flipped through the documents. “This says that the challenges tests have to be taken in person at the testing center. How am I going to get there?”

“There are several options for that. Atsuhiro could drive you or you could ride with Kyoya,” Kosaku suggested.

“Ride with Kyoya?” Haruhi asked quizzically.

Kosaku smiled. “I gave Kyoya this same information before your cosplay meeting. Before his father had him move back home.”

Haruhi’s expression tightened at the mention of Kyoya’s father. “Did you know that Yoshio basically placed Kyoya under house arrest?”

Hibiki’s voice was sad as she replied, “Tachibana informed us. Shima was livid and I don’t blame her.”

Looking at the clock, Kosaku interrupted, “We should probably finish talking about the classes before Tachibana comes to get you for the conference call. Okay, if you’ll help me fill out the paperwork, I’ll prepare the payment from the Hinan estate accounts to cover the cost of the tests and the courses.”

“Wait, what?” Haruhi asked, confused. “Shouldn’t the fees come from my bank account?”

“Actually, these classes related to your management responsibilities, so they should be paid for from the Hinan estate,” Kosaku assured her.

Dazed, Haruhi responded, “Then…I guess I won’t have to worry about whether I have enough to cover all of these.”

“No, you just have to worry about doing the work. You and Kyoya could always study together between classes and Host Club.” Kosaku smiled at Haruhi’s stunned expression and growing blush.

There was a knock on the door and Hibiki hurried to open it. Tachibana stood there. “Haruhi, it’s time for the conference call, if you are finished here?”

Haruhi looked to Kosaku and he nodded and said, “We’re done. Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions or need any advice.”

“Thank you for everything. I’ll see you both at dinner.” Haruhi then followed Tachibana to the Hinan office, where they intended to initiate the conference call.

“Oh, by the way,” Tachibana called over his shoulder on the way to the office, “Atsuhiro will give you a ride home after dinner. He’s meeting some friends and your apartment is on the way.”

“Then I won’t have to feel guilty about him making a special trip to drive me home,” Haruhi responded.

They entered to Hinan office and Tachibana called Mitsukuni’s phone first. “Hold on while I conference in the Host Club.” The call was answered on the first ring and he asked, “Have you been anxious for this call?”

Tamaki’s overly dramatic voice demanded, “Is Haruhi okay? Those monsters didn’t try anything, did they?”

Rolling her eyes, Haruhi chuckled, “Do you really think security here would let them get anywhere near me?”

“Then something did happen! I must come at once,” he declared.

Kyoya ordered, “That would take too long. Now sit down and shut up so they can tell us what happened.”

Tachibana proceeded to explain the situation with the fifteen meters and the reactions to the cease-and-desist order. “Needless to say, assault charges have been filed in addition to a civil suit for damages.”

To Haruhi, it sounded like more than one of the young men on the call growled protectively when Tachibana mentioned the attempted attack.

“Hmm,” Kyoya intoned. “Given what I’ve uncovered in my research of Cormorant Construction, I believe there is a high probability of acquiring the property to the west in essentially the same way we acquired Hinansho.”

Haruhi could hear Tamaki bouncing up and down in his chair. “I want to provide the money to buy it. It’s my turn to contribute. Please, please, please?!?”

Tachibana and Haruhi chuckled silently, imagining him wiggling like an excited puppy and Kyoya pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

Kyoya’s long-suffering sigh was followed by, “Very well. You may provide the funds to purchase the western property. Satisfied?”

Suddenly Tamaki sounded very dignified as he replied, “Thank you. Now we must get ready for our guests. We’ll see you tomorrow, Haruhi.”


	4. Halloween with the Host Club

Mitsukuni headed straight for Haruhi as soon as he stepped into Music Room Three. He pulled her into a hug and buried his face in her shoulder. “I can’t tell you how much your text messages have meant to me. I don’t think I would have made it without them.”

Haruhi rubbed his back. “Since you’ll be at the Haninozuka estate this weekend, you’ll be close enough we can talk later,” she whispered into his hair. Glancing around to be sure the other hosts were not watching, she placed a kiss on the top of his head.

He pulled back and smiled as he leaned forward, kissing her cheek. “Can Takashi and I take you out to dinner after Host Club?”

She leans her forehead against his. “I’d like that.” Hearing Tamaki berating the twins for horsing around, Haruhi whispered, “We’d better get ready before Tamaki starts his hysterics.”

Reluctantly, he stepped around her and headed for the changing rooms.

She was startled as strong arms wrapped around her shoulders from behind and voice whispered in her ear, “Thank you. You’ve been good for Mitsukuni. Thank you for agreeing to go to dinner with us tonight.”

Turning in Takashi’s arms, she reached up and caressed his face. “Glad I can help. Now we need to go get changed into our costumes.” The pair walked off together in the direction of the changing rooms.

Kyoya tensed and his face suffuse with envy as he watched the interactions between Mitsukuni, Takashi, and Haruhi. His mental tone was resigned as he thought, “ _I wish that was me being kissed and caressed by Haruhi. I have to stop torturing myself. I don’t deserve someone as wonderful as she is.”_ To cover his lapse, he turned to Tamaki and said, “Don’t forget to tell the guests the ‘trick’ for tonight’s Host Club cosplay.”

Tamaki looked blank for a moment and then beamed broadly. “Oh yes, we’re playing against character. I will announce it as soon as we open the doors.”

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was in costume and posing, waiting for Tamaki to open the doors and let in the guests.

“Princesses, thank you for joining us for our Halloween cosplay. As a ‘treat,’ we are dressed as characters from the popular American movie, ‘The Princess Bride.’ As a ‘trick,’ we will be playing the opposite of our usual characters.”

Gesturing broadly to the twins, he continued, “Our usual ‘brotherly love’ pair will be the deadly rivals, Count Rugen and Inigo Montoya.”

Hikaru stepped forward dressed in a copy of the movie costume, right down to the glove with six fingers. He drew his sword and swished it dramatically.

That was Kaoru’s cue to step out and block Hikaru’s swing. The clash of metal-on-metal drew ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the ladies.

Striking a pose, Kaoru quoted the famous line, “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

Several of the young ladies swooned and a couple dropped to the floor in a faint.

Tamaki resumed the introductions. “With Inigo are his companions. Instead of the ‘boy lolita,’ we have the ruthless mastermind, Vizzini. Instead of the silent ‘wild’ type, we have the brawling-for-money, Fezzik.”

Mitsukuni and Takashi stepped forward and stood to the left of ‘Inigo’ while he continued to trade blows with ‘Count Rugen’ on his right.

“Our ‘cool’ type is taking on the role of the hot-blooded Dread Pirate Roberts, who is also the Farmboy, Wesley, the long-lost love of Buttercup.”

Kyoya advance in the all-black costume and mask of the feared pirate, swished his sword, and bowed gracefully to the crowd of guests.

Tamaki continued, “I am Prince Humperdink, the conniving and murderous despot. I want war and I’m not above marrying just to kill my new bride to start it.”

Turning to the last host, he gestured broadly. “Finally, our ‘natural’ host is playing the demure and maidenly Buttercup. Thinking her love dead at the hands of the Dread Pirate Roberts, she has no will to oppose Prince Humperdink and his plans to marry her.”

Haruhi stepped forward in a copy of the gown Buttercup wore when she was presented to the people as a commoner who would wed the prince as part of the country’s 500th anniversary celebration. “ _Well, at least it’s modest and covers almost everything_ ,” she thought.

For the next two hours, the Host Club members worked hard to stay in their movie personas. They acted out several scenes, including the battle wits between Vizzini and the Dread Pirate Roberts, Fezzik carrying off ‘the lovely lady,’ Humperdink and Buttercup’s argument about sending the ships, and Inigo and Count Rugen’s sword fight. The ladies were reluctant to leave when Kyoya announce that Host Club hours were over.

After the last guests finally left and the doors were closed, all the hosts collapsed on the sofas.

“That was so HARD,” Mitsukuni complained. “Kyoya, how can you be such a ruthless mastermind all the time without being exhausted?” 

Kyoya replied, “Well, if I tried to be cute and sweet, I would be just as exhausted as you are right now. Since ruthless mastermind is my default setting, there’s no effort to maintain it.” He turned as he spoke and was stunned at what he saw. Mitsukuni climbed into Haruhi’s lap, wrapped his arms around her waist, laid his head on her shoulder, and snuggled his nose into the crook of her neck.

Haruhi was startled at first when he climbed into her lap, but as she felt him relax into sleep, she wrapped her arms securely around him and laid her cheek on top of his head. “ _I’ve never seen him so worn out,”_ she thought.

She looked around at the other hosts and saw a variety of reactions to Mitsukuni’s actions.

The other hosts looked on, some absolutely shocked at his bold move. Tamaki and the twins were all seething, thinking the same thought, “ _Who does he think he is!?!?!?”_

Kyoya pondered dejectedly, “ _Have they been secretly dating? They certainly seem comfortable with close contact. I always knew she was too good for the likes of me.”_ He recalled all the times Mitsukuni had laid his head on Haruhi’s lap and she ran her fingers through his hair.

Takashi sighed contentedly. “ _He’s become quite comfortable around Haruhi._ _She’s good for him. Not romantically, but more like a sister. He’s had such a hard time these last few months. I know something is wrong but he won’t confide in me. At least her texts help him through his hardest moments. I don’t think he realizes that I’ve seen him read and re-read them after a hard day when he has trouble sleeping.”_

Kyoya broke the tableau when he declared, “It’s getting late and we need to change, clean up, and get home. Takashi, I believe it would be in everyone’s best interest if you were to see that Mitsukuni and Haruhi get home safely.”

“Just let me change out of my costume. I’ll see that Haruhi’s and Mitsukuni’s are returned tomorrow,” Takashi said as he headed for a changing room.

Tamaki was about to protest when both Takashi and Kyoya shot him a look that declared, “Don’t you dare wake up Mitsukuni!”

The twins, warned by the glares directed at Tamaki, decided to make a strategic retreat to change out of their costumes. When they returned a few minutes later, Takashi had already left with Haruhi and Mitsukuni. Shaking their heads in bemusement, they began collecting dishes to wash while Tamaki and Kyoya went to change out of their costumes.

When Tamaki and Kyoya returned a few minutes later, the four worked together and Music Room Three was quickly set to rights. They then bade each other ‘Good night’ and headed for home.

<OHSHC>

Takashi settled Haruhi, with Mitsukuni still clinging to her, in the limousine and signaled the chauffeur they were ready.

“We’ll drop Mitsukuni off first and then I’ll take you home,” Takashi stated.

“What about dinner?” Haruhi asked. Mitsukuni shifted in his sleep and whimpered softly. She rubbed his back and hummed tunelessly to comfort him. He seemed to settle into a deeper sleep under her ministrations.

Distracted from her thoughts about dinner, she asked quietly, “Has he been having trouble at University?”

Takashi pondered her question for a few minutes before he finally answered. “It’s funny. He loves his classes and has been keeping up and doing well. But I have noticed that he has been having mood swings and gets irritable rather quickly. He’s also been having trouble sleeping. I’ve seen him re-reading your texts some nights when he can’t sleep.”

Haruhi looked down at the young man on her lap. “I’ll be sure to keep sending them since they help. I wish there was more I could do.”

Laying a hand on her shoulders, he said, “Please just keep being there for him. That’s what he needs most right now.” As he finished speaking, the car stopped in front to the Haninozuka mansion.

“I’ll be right back,” Takashi said as he gently disentangled Mitsukuni from Haruhi.

She waited patiently, contemplating what she had learned about Mitsukuni’s behavior at University. _“I wonder if my setting up the Hinan family has anything to do with his changes. Has it been putting extra pressure on him?”_

When Takashi climbed back into the car, he saw the pensive look on Haruhi’s face. “Is anything wrong, Haruhi?” he asked gently.

She heaved a sigh and inquired, “Did I do the right thing, creating the Hinan family? Could it be causing Mitsukuni to worry? And then there’s everything that’s been going on with the lawsuit against Cormorant and that whole mess?” 

She stared at her hands as she wrung them anxiously. “I mean, everything basically returned to the way it was before the Ouran Fair. I can’t help wondering if Kyoya’s current situation is partially my fault. It appears that I was worrying over nothing and wound up making things worse.”

Takashi was not used to seeing this confident, vibrant young woman looking so vulnerable. He took her hands in his own to stop her fidgeting. “Even if the Hinan family never needs to adopt anyone to protect them, it was still a good idea. Look at all the new people we’ve met, the good-paying jobs we’ve created, the fun we’ve had together.”

He pause to collect his thoughts. “Look how much you have learned about investing, finance, and accounting—and you haven’t even started your online courses yet. What about all those conferences you were able to attend during the summer? This has been a growing experience for you.”

“But…” Haruhi tried to interrupt.

Placing a finger gently on her lips, he continued. “And look how much good it has done for the hosts. Tamaki has the family he’s always wanted. Kyoya has a trustee for the investments that he’s using to build his future, rather than having them co-opted by The Otori Group.”

Emotion roughened his voice as he looked deeply into her eyes. “You have done so much good for so many. Believe in yourself. Just look around you at how much happier everyone is when we’re together at Hinansho. You have created a ‘place of refuge’ and we are all better for having it available.”

Haruhi searched his eyes and found nothing but openness and sincerity. “I guess you’re right. It just seemed so urgent after the Ouran Fair.”

Takashi cupped her cheek with his hand and said, “Maybe there was something you sensed subconsciously, some undercurrent of foreboding. Just because it hasn’t manifested yet, doesn’t mean it won’t.”

Haruhi leaned into his touch. “Thank you. I feel a little better now. I guess we just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

“Now, how about I take you home to change and then we can head out to dinner? We can pick up Mitsukuni and return the costumes before going out for lunch together tomorrow.”

“I’d like that.”

<OHSHC>

Haruhi sat at the kitchen table studying the materials for the challenge tests. “ _It looks like I’ve covered most of this math in my Ouran classes already. The writing appears to be straightforward. I’m glad Kyoya is helping me prepare for the computer test.”_

She pulled out her calendar. “ _Let’s see. I have three weeks until the tests. That’s the day before Kyoya’s birthday. Maybe I can use the trip together to my advantage and take him out to lunch for his birthday.”_

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. “ _That should be Mitsukuni and Takashi for our lunch date._ ” Checking to make sure she had her keys, phone, and wallet, she hurried to the door. “Hey, guys,” she said when she opened the door.

“Ready for lunch and cake?” Mitsukuni asked brightly.

“I’m ready,” Haruhi replied.

“Don’t forget the costume. I promised Kyoya we would return those today,” Takashi interjected.

“Oh, thanks for reminding me. I’ll be right back.” She turned around and hurried to her bedroom. 

As she lifted the garment bag off the hook, she thought, “ _This really is a beautiful dress. Not frilly or flowery like a lot of things Dad and the twins try to make me wear. I actually enjoyed wearing it.”_

Haruhi came out carrying the garment bag and slipped on her shoes. “I’m ready now,” she announced.

Without a word, Takashi reached for the garment bag.

“I can carry it myself,” Haruhi protested.

“I know. But I want to carry it for you,” Takashi teased. “Or I could just carry you and the dress.”

Haruhi blushed at the implications of his words. “I would never live it down with the gossips around here. It’s bad enough when the Host Club just shows up to visit. What would they say to one of you guys carrying me to his car?”

Mitsukuni stood there smiling broadly at the teasing between his cousin and his friend.

She handed Takashi the garment bag. “You win,” she conceded.

“That depends on your point of view,” Takashi shot back and winked. “I think it would have been more of a win for me if I got to carry you to the car.”

Haruhi blushed at the implication of his words. “Well, we’ve probably generated a week’s worth of gossip just standing here. Let’s get the costumes dropped off so we can have lunch and talk. I’ve missed you guys.”

Mitsukuni grabbed Haruhi’s hand. “I’ve missed you, too. A LOT.”

She smiled and squeezed his hand before climbing into the car.

Takashi handed the garment bag to the chauffeur who stored it in the cargo area. “We’ll be delivering the costumes to the Hitachiin estate,” Takashi informed him as he climbed into the limousine.

Haruhi sat between the cousins and they chatted happily about school during the drive. When they reached the Hitachiin estate, Haruhi said, “If you don’t mind, I’ll just wait here. If those two see me, we’ll never get away to have our lunch together.”

“No problem,” Takashi returned. “The chauffeur will deliver the costumes to the door. It should only take a minute or two.” As he spoke, the chauffeur retrieved the garment bags from the cargo area.

Walking up to the front door, he rang the doorbell. When the butler answered the door, he handed the bags to the butler with a nod. The nod was returned and the chauffeur headed to the car.

Not long after the stop, they reached the restaurant. It was a simple family noodle house in the middle class part of town.

Seated at a quiet table, they enjoyed a simple lunch while they talked and laughed.

“ _This is the happiest I’ve seen Mitsukuni in months,”_ Takashi thought. _“I wish we could spend time with Haruhi more often. She really is good for him.”_ He watched silently as his cousin told Haruhi about his classes.

She turned to Takashi and asked, “What about your classes? Are they going well?”

“They’ve been going well. Though I have one assignment that’s a little daunting for me,” he replied.

“Oh, is there any way I can help?” Haruhi asked.

“I don’t know. You see, I have to organize a networking event. I’m not exactly sure how to make some of the arrangements.” Takashi frowned as he contemplated the assignment.

“Hmm,” Haruhi pondered. “When is the assignment due?”

“My assigned date is November 22, but I was going to see if I could change it because that’s Kyoya’s birthday. Tamaki was insisting the Host Club have a party for him at Hinansho that day,” Takashi explained.

“Actually, Tamaki tried to get the required pre-approval from Yoshio and was denied,” Haruhi snorted.

Mitsukuni piped up, “You’re kidding. Yoshio won’t even let us have a birthday party for Kyoya?”

The trio sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

Haruhi said thoughtfully, “You know, Kyoya would be the best person to help you with the planning and execution of a networking event.”

“You’re right.” Takashi’s expression slowly shifted from considering through plotting to decisive. “Yoshio should approve of Kyoya’s involvement with a business-related venture such as that, if I frame my request properly.”

Smiling, she watched as Takashi mentally devised and refined a plan. When he nodded as if reaching a final conclusion, she touched his hand and asked, “Do you have a plan?”

“Oh yes, I have a plan not only for the networking event, but also a birthday party afterwards.”

Mitsukuni grinned at his cousin. “I can’t wait to hear it.”

<OHSHC>

Takashi made a formal request for an appointment with Yoshio Otori and he promptly received a formal confirmation of the date and time. As the date approached, he prepared his request with as much diligence as he prepared for any of his kendo matches. Though this was a match of wits rather than muscle and shinai, precision was still the key.

The morning of the scheduled meeting, Takashi spent extra time in meditation after his workout. “ _Though Yoshio’s behavior has been dishonorable toward Kyoya and he has lost my respect, I must show him proper respect as is due an elder. I must keep my goal firmly in mind—securing more time away from the Otori estate for my friend, Kyoya.”_

Dressing carefully in a business suit, he continued his mental preparations. “ _Simple and truthful are the best path. I do not be divulging all the details, just those pertinent to my request, Kyoya’s assistance with planning the networking event. Hopefully the fact that this university assignment so closely resembles Host Club activities will impress on Yoshio how important Kyoya’s skills are_.”

Keeping with the formality of the meeting, Takashi opted to use the limousine and chauffeur rather than drive himself. It was a short drive and soon the chauffeur was holding the car door for him to exit the car. “The meeting should be brief. Please remain nearby.”

“Very good, sir.” The chauffeur touched his fingers to the bill of his cap.

Drawing a deep breath, Takashi rang the bell and waited. The butler opened the door and said, “Morinozuka-san, you are expected. Please follow me.”

With measured steps, Takashi followed the butler to Yoshio’s home office. The butler announced him, “Mr. Takashi Morinozuka has arrived for his appointment, sir.”

Hearing nothing, Takashi assumed that Yoshio had gestured to the butler to show him in. He took two proper steps into the room, paused, and bowed formally. When Yoshio nodded his acknowledgement, Takashi said, “Good morning, Otori-sama. Thank you for agreeing to see me.”

“Please, be seated. You mentioned in your scheduling of a meeting that you wished to make a request of me.” Yoshio leaned forward and rested his forearms on his massive desk.

“That is correct, sir. I have an assignment for one of my university classes that I have not developed the necessary skills to accomplish on my own. I must arrange a business networking event for my classmates to meet business professionals from at least four different fields. I have scheduled the professionals and the venue. However, I am unfamiliar with the finer details, such as refreshments. Although the assignment does allow for requesting help, it strictly forbids hiring a professional party planner.” Takashi paused to gauge Yoshio’s reaction.

“And just how may I help you?” Yoshio inquired indifferently.

“ _Well, here goes,”_ Takashi thought. “Kyoya always made the arrangements for the Host Club activities. I am requesting four hours of his time each Saturday to teach me how to properly execute this event. I would also request his presence at the event to evaluate my performance.”

“I am impressed that you are taking such pains to complete a simple assignment. Yes, Kyoya will be available to assist you.” Yoshio pressed a button on the intercom. “Please inform Kyoya that his presence is required in my office immediately.”

Years of conditioning helped Takashi keep an impassive expression as he heard Yoshio talk about Kyoya like he was a serving tray to be loaned out on a whim.

Yoshio stood and said, “Please wait in the vestibule. Kyoya will be with you presently.”

Takashi stood and bowed formally once again. “Thank you for your approval.” Internally he was seething in anger at the callous treatment of his friend.

<OHSHC>

Kyoya entered his father’s office and stood before the massive desk, waiting for the explanations for the summons. “ _What have I done this time? I’ve tried hard to meet all his demands.”_

Yoshio looked up at him and intone, “I have had a request for your assistance in planning and executing a networking event as an assignment for a university course.”

Looking perplexed, Kyoya thought, “ _So I’m to be lent out as a party planner? Or is this a cover story for a blind date to see if I am compatible enough with some associate’s simpering daughter so he can arrange a marriage of benefit to the family?”_

“You will be spending four hours today and for the next two Saturdays tutoring someone on the finer points of planning and conducting a networking event. You will spend the full day on November 22 helping with the event. Afterwards, you will provide analysis and feedback,” Yoshio dictated.

“ _What a way to spend my birthday_ ,” Kyoya thought sarcastically. Aloud, he asked, “Will this interfere in any way with my challenge tests?”

“No, since they will be completed the day before the event,” Yoshio stated. “If you have no further questions, he is waiting for you in the vestibule.”

“Thank you, Father,” Kyoya forced himself to say, bowing his head in the semblance of respect and exiting his father’s office.

“ _He never bothered to mention who I’m being loaned out to, but since he said ‘he’ was waiting for me, at least it’s not a thinly veiled attempt at pairing me up with someone’s daughter as an advantage for him. Well, I’m about to find out_.” Kyoya stepped into the vestibule and was surprised to recognize the tall broad-shouldered figure waiting for him. “You’re the one…” Kyoya started to say.

Takashi turned around, quirked an eyebrow and said, “Surprised?”

At first Kyoya just looked at him. Finally he responded, “The way Father described the assignment, I expected a simpering daughter of one of his business associates.”

Takashi simply quirked an eyebrow and gestured to the door.

<OHSHC>

They settled down at the table in Takashi’s apartment at Hinansho. “Here’s the syllabus,” Takashi said as he handed a sheet of paper to Kyoya.

In the living area, Mitsukuni was asleep on the sofa with his head in Haruhi’s lap. She was absently running her fingers through his hair as she read a book.

Kyoya thought, _“I wonder if those two are dating. They seem to be together a lot._ ” Dragging his attention back to the paper in his hand, he noted that the assignment appeared to be simple. “So what part do you need help with?”

Takashi replied, “The one point of the assignment that’s vague is refreshments. Should they be served? If so, what are appropriate? How do I estimate how much is needed?”

“Those are all very good questions. A general rule of thumb is for any gathering scheduled to be more than an hour long, there should be some type of refreshments. The type of refreshments is dependent on several factors…” With that Kyoya launched into a tutorial on a decision tree for refreshments.

Forty-five minutes later, Takashi made a final note. “And that should take care of everything?” He looked questioningly at Kyoya.

“According to your syllabus, that’s all you need to do. You had almost all the pieces in place before you asked for my help,” he replied off-handedly. “I suggest running it by your professor on Monday to be sure there are no unwritten expectations.”

Takashi nodded. “That’s a good point. I’ll do that. Thanks for all of your help.”

Sounding disappointed, Kyoya said, “So I guess you won’t be needing me anymore today or for the next two Saturdays?”

A soft voice in his ear said, “Oh no, we need you here.” He nearly jumped out of his seat when he felt two small hands begin to gently massage his tense shoulders. “Takashi went to a lot of trouble to come up with a plan to get you some extra time away from the Otori estate.”

Kyoya drew a breath as she started kneading on a knot in his shoulder. “You mean this was all a ruse?”

“No,” Takashi denied. “I really did need your help with the assignment. Haruhi just encouraged me to embellish the time needed so you could have a break.”

Relaxing as Haruhi’s hands gently eased the tension in his neck and shoulders, Kyoya sighed in contentment. “Thank you, Haruhi. That feels amazing. Where did you learn these massage techniques?”

She laughed. “Trial and error on Dad. Some of his long shifts generated really stubborn knots that made it difficult for him to sleep. At first it took at least an hour to get his muscles to relax. Now I can do it in under fifteen minutes, even on the worst nights. Stand up and turn your chair around.”

Kyoya looked at her questioningly, but did as he was bid.

“Now, sit down and rest your arms on the back of the chair.” She gestured to the newly positioned chair. “Now I can get to the lower part of your back. I can’t get to all of the knots with the chair back in the way.” He sat down and she continued her ministrations.

After a couple minutes, Kyoya sighed. “I haven’t felt this relaxed since this summer. If you don’t mind, I think I may go take a short nap. I haven’t been sleeping very well because I’ve been so tense.”

“Just let me finish and then I’ll let you go,” Haruhi grunted as she worked on a particularly stubborn knot in his lower back.

Kyoya suppressed a moan of pleasure as the knot in his lower back finally released. He felt almost boneless from the lack of pain and tension.

Takashi watched the interaction between his friends. “ _He has feelings for her. It’s obvious from the look on his face. I know she has mentioned her feelings for him in an off-handed manner several times. They’ll be good together. I hope he’s willing to wait until she finishes University. I don’t think she’ll be ready until then_.” He smiled softly to himself as Haruhi finished the massage.

“There, all done,” Haruhi said as she kissed Kyoya behind the ear. Realizing what she had just done, she clapped her hands over her mouth.

Kyoya sat there stunned. _“Did she just kiss me?”_ He finally stood up and turned around. Smiling, he teased, “Well, I wasn’t expecting that.”

Haruhi blushed and said, “I…I…That’s how I always finish up Dad’s massage. Usually he’s asleep so it’s kind of a kiss goodnight.”

Stepping closer, Kyoya caressed her cheek. “I didn’t mind. It was nice. I guess it fits since I’m going to take a nap.” He chuckled and headed out the door.

After he closed the door, Haruhi regained her composure before she turned to look at Takashi. Seeing the smile on his face, she groaned, “I can’t believe I did that. What must he think of me?”

Takashi said, “He probably thinks you might like him. You have given him ample evidence.”

Gathering the remnants of her dignity and trying to hide her blush, she sputtered, “Okay, it’s your turn for a massage.”

Standing up, he turned his chair around and settled down with his arms on the back. “Do I get a kiss, too?” he asked teasingly.

“We’ll see,” she teased as she stepped up behind him and started kneading out the knots in his shoulders from kendo practice.

<OHSHC>

An hour later, both Mitsukuni and Kyoya were awake and the four friends were enjoying lunch in Takashi’s dining area.

Mitsukuni piped up, “I wish I could take you back to the apartment with me, Haruhi. I always feel so much more rested after you put me to sleep.”

Three pairs of eyes looked at him in astonishment. Takashi raised an eyebrow and considered his cousin. Kyoya’s expression was scandalized. Haruhi looked like she was trying to decide between laughter and mortification at his words.

When he saw their expressions, he realized what he said. Blushing deeply, he sputtered, “Wait…wait, that didn’t come out right. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s more like having a sister tuck me in and watch over me as I fall asleep. It makes me feels safe.”

Haruhi couldn’t hold it any longer and started to laugh. Kyoya and Takashi couldn’t resist the infectious nature of her laugh, so they joined in. 

After they regained control, Haruhi walked over to Mitsukuni and gave him a hug as he buried his face in his hands. Wiping her eyes, she final cooed, “It’s okay. I think of you like a brother. I’m glad you feel safe around me.”

“Still, I can’t believe I said that,” he whimpered.

She tipped his chin up so he was looking her in the eye. “Hey, no harm done. It was said here among friends who understand. We may tease you a little about it but we still love you.”

“That’s right,” Kyoya interjected. “No harm done. I think we all just needed a laugh. We weren’t laughing at you, but at our reactions to what you said.”

Takashi placed a hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “Remember, we wouldn’t tease you if we didn’t love you.”

Looking around at his friends, Mitsukuni avowed, “I’m so glad I have a family like you.”

Everyone laughed and then gathered around Mitsukuni for a group hug. As they separated, Takashi glanced at the clock and frowned.

“I hate to break this up, but it’s time for me to take Kyoya back to the Otori estate,” he said.

Kyoya heaved a sigh and replied, “It’s okay. I feel a lot better after my time here today. And I can look forward to the next two Saturdays. Thank you all for doing this for me.”

“Hey,” Haruhi said, bumping his shoulder with hers. “This was for us too. We’ve missed you. The other three would have been here, but they had family obligations. Hopefully, they’ll be here next week and we can start planning the Hinan Family After-Christmas Celebration.”

Takashi interjected, “That way we aren’t lying about needing you here for your expertise in party planning.”

“There is that,” Kyoya allowed.

Haruhi winked at him and teased, “Told you we needed you here.”


	5. Holidays at Hinansho

“ _I hope I haven’t arrived too early_ ,” Kyoya fretted. “ _I was just so anxious to get away from the Otori estate; I didn’t want to wait any longer._ ” He shook his head in dismay. “ _I have to stop lying to myself. I’m looking forward to spending the whole day with Haruhi—just the two of us. Sure we’ll be taking tests most of it, but at least we’ll have lunch alone.”_

He knocked on Haruhi’s apartment door and she immediately opened it, as if she had been waiting for him. She even had her satchel strap over her shoulder. “A little anxious, are we?” Kyoya teased.

“I was waiting by the door. Dad is sleeping and I didn’t want the knocking to wake him.” She muttered to herself as she patted her satchel, “Let’s see, I left Dad a note to remind him that I have the tests today and I don’t know exactly when I’ll be home. I have my wallet, keys, phone, and everything I need for the tests in here.” Locking the door behind her, she said to Kyoya, “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Kyoya chuckled as he turned and led her to where the car was parked, the chauffeur waiting to open the door for them. “I would have preferred that Tachibana drive today, but Father insisted on the family chauffeur. He probably thinks that Tachibana is too lenient with me.”

The pair climbed into the backseat of the limousine and promptly pulled out their notes. Kyoya smiled and nudged Haruhi with his elbow. “Great minds think alike?”

She smiled and scooted closer, until their knees touched. Then she smirked and turned her attention back to her notes.

They were so intent on studying, they were startled when the chauffeur opened the door and said, “We have arrived at the designated restaurant. I will return to pick you up here at 5:00 this evening. Please call if the tests run long.”

Haruhi smiled at him and murmured, “Thank you.”

“We’ll see you this evening,” Kyoya responded.

After the car pulled away, the pair entered the restaurant. The hostess greeted them warmly. “How may we serve you this morning?”

Kyoya responded, “We have reservations for a small private dining room under the name Hinan.”

“Of course,” the hostess demurred. “Please follow me.” She led them to a side hallway where she gestured to an open door. “Here you are. It has been reserved for your use for the entire day. Your waitress will be here shortly to take your order.”

Kyoya stood aside to allow Haruhi to enter first. She promptly walked to one end of the table and began laying out her notes. He walked to the same end of the table and pulled out his notes. She looked at him questioningly. Shrugging, he said offhandedly, “I figured we could leave the other end of the table clear for our meals so nothing gets spilled on our notes.

Smiling, she replied, “That’s a good idea.” Pulling an envelope from her notebook, she pulled out her test schedule. “Let’s see, each segment is two hours long. The first test is mathematics this morning at 9:00 and is followed by the lunch break. Next is the writing test at 12:30. Then there’s a half hour break before the computer test begins at 3:00. Is that the same as yours, Kyoya?”

Kyoya glanced at his own schedule and nodded. “That is my schedule as well.” Before he could continue, the waitress knocked lightly on the door.

They both ordered tea and a light breakfast. “I’m almost too nervous to eat,” Haruhi admitted. “But I know I have to eat so I can concentrate on the test and not my complaining stomach later.”

Kyoya just chuckled and shook his head. “Sound reasoning. How are you feeling about the tests today? Are you nervous?”

Looking pensive, Haruhi finally replied, “I’m a little nervous. All the practice tests have seemed easier than the tests for my classes at Ouran. I want to start the online courses as well as earn the college credit, but at least I won’t lose my scholarship if I don’t score well on these tests.”

They were interrupted by the arrival of their breakfasts. They ate and promptly returned to studying. 

At 8:30, Haruhi nudged Kyoya’s foot with her own under the table. “We should get going so we can find our room, check in, and get settle before the test is scheduled to start.”

“I agree,” he responded. As they were packing up their notes, the waitress arrived to remove the breakfast dishes.

“May I get you anything else?” the waitress asked.

“Not at this time. We have tests to take. We will be back for lunch,” Kyoya assured her.

“Best wishes on your tests. I will see you later.” The waitress bowed and then exited the room with the tray of dishes.

Walking toward the testing site, Haruhi pulled out her schedule again. “The test is in Room 3.”

Kyoya looked at her. “I thought it was in Room 5.”

“Right here, it says Room 3.” She held out the sheet for him to see.

He pulled out his own schedule and read it. “Ah, it appears that we are in different rooms for the test. It makes sense that these tests would be popular for earning college credits. Well, since we won’t be in the same room, I guess we’ll just have to meet back at the restaurant.”

Haruhi looked a little nervous as they approached the door to Room 3. “See you back at the restaurant.”

As she reached for the doorknob, Kyoya caught her hand and gently pulled her around to face him. “You’ll do fine. I’m sure of it.”

She blushed. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Before pulling her hand back, she caressed his cheek and whispered, “I’m sure you’ll do fine as well.”

Kyoya watched her check in with the proctor before shaking himself out of his revere and continuing down the hall to Room 5.

Just after 10:00, Kyoya looked at his test paper pensively. “ _That was much easier than I anticipated. I’ll just look through it one more time to be sure I haven’t missed some important instruction.”_

Fifteen minutes later, he shook his head in consternation. “ _It all looks correct. I guess I’ll just turn it in before I start second-guessing myself.”_

The proctor had a puzzled look on his face when he took the test from Kyoya. “Is there a problem?” he asked tentatively.

“I am finished,” Kyoya stated quietly.

Flipping through the test, the proctor saw that all of the questions had been answered. “Okay, you are free to go.”

Just as Kyoya stepped out of Room 5, Haruhi was closing the door to Room 3.

She looked surprised, but then she smiled. “You’re done, too? I don’t know why I’m surprised.”

“Shall we head back to the restaurant? It’s too early for lunch, but there’s plenty of time to study for the writing and computer tests this afternoon.” Kyoya gestured to the door leading outside.

Haruhi slipped her arm around his and said, “Sounds like a plan.”

Kyoya was startled by her action, but he was thankful she felt comfortable enough with him to link arms like this. Instinctively, he pulled his arm closer to his body to anchor her hand in place. She smiled up and him and all he could think was, “ _I wonder if she has any idea what she does to me when she touches me, no matter how lightly? Does she hear my heart beat increase when she’s near me? Could she be doing it on purpose?”_

“Hey, Kyoya?” Haruhi asked tentatively.

“Yes?” he responded off-handedly.

“When we get back to the restaurant, could I use your laptop to try the computer practice test again?” She looked up at him shyly.

“Of course. I know you don’t have one of your own, so you don’t get to use one on a regular basis.” Kyoya smiled at her tenderly. “ _I’m glad she’s becoming more comfortable around me.”_

Kyoya logged Haruhi into his laptop and then pulled out copies of the writing practice tests to review. They worked in comfortable silence, with the clicking of computer keys the only sound.

Just before noon, the waitress returned for their lunch order.

“Is there just a simple bento lunch available?” Haruhi asked.

“Yes, we have two options. The first is rice and fish garnished with pickled vegetables. The other is onigiri with chicken and steamed vegetables,” she responded politely.

Haruhi thought for a moment and then declared, “I’ll have the rice and fish bento, please. It should be light enough. I’d also like a pot of ginseng tea.”

The waitress looked to Kyoya inquiringly. “I will have the same,” he intoned.

After the waitress left, Haruhi turned to Kyoya and teased, “If you had gotten something different, we could have shared tastes of each other’s lunch.”

Kyoya looked startled at her suggestion. “Are you…flirting with me?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“No…maybe…I don’t know,” Haruhi blushed. “I‘ve never flirted before.”

Chuckling, he stepped closer and lowered his voice, “Maybe you’ve picked it up from your designates. You seem to be doing it just as naturally as you host.”

Wanted to change the direction of the conversation, Haruhi cast about for a different topic of discussion. “If Kosaku hadn’t already reserved this dining room, I was going to take you out to lunch for your birthday.”

“Too bad, I would have enjoyed that,” Kyoya said softly, watching her fidgeting hands and suppressing the urge to hold her hands to still them.

“Tamaki tried to get pre-approval to have a birthday party for you tomorrow, but Yoshio denied the request,” Haruhi huffed in annoyance.

Kyoya teased, “Well, I have to work tomorrow anyway. There’s this networking event that I have to evaluate. I’m sure it wouldn’t seem so much like work if you were there.”

Haruhi blushed. “Are you flirting with me now?”

Smirking, Kyoya purred, “So what if I am?” He was about to take a step closer when the waitress returned with their lunches. 

The teens stepped apart quickly, Haruhi trying unsuccessfully to hide a guilty expression. The waitress suppressed a smile as she set the meals on the table. “ _Ah, young love. It’s so cute.”_ She promptly left them alone again.

The pair ate in silence, avoiding each other’s eyes. Haruhi glanced at Kyoya out of the corner of her eye. “ _What must he think of me? I can’t believe I’m acting like this_.”

Feeling her eyes on him, Kyoya resisted the urge to look at Haruhi. “ _Not that I would ever tell anyone, but this day has been better than I ever could have imagined. She has been so cute today, trying to flirt without even knowing she’s doing it.”_

They soon finished their lunches and started preparing to head to their next test. “ _It’s now or never, I guess,”_ Haruhi thought to herself. Aloud, she called, “Hey, Kyoya?”

He turned around and looked at her. “Did I pick up some of your notes by mistake?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.” She stepped closer and lightly placed her hands on his chest. “I just wanted to say thanks for letting me use your computer.”

Kyoya’s expression soften as he replied, “It was my pleasure.”

Haruhi hesitated. “There’s something I would like to give you as an early birthday present.”

“Oh, really? What’s that?” He looked down into her intense brown eyes.

“This.” She slipped her left hand down and around his waist while sliding her right hand up to the back of his neck where she tangled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. Exerting light pressure, she pulled his head down and gently kissed his lips.

Instinctively, Kyoya wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. It was only a few seconds before both pulled back and rested their foreheads together. He finally breathed, “Wow! That is the best birthday present I’ve ever received. Thank you.”

Haruhi drew a deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach. “Well, if a kiss is the best birthday present you’ve gotten, should I tell the other Hosts so they can give you the same?” she teased.

“No! I don’t want a kiss from any of the other Hosts. I don’t even allow les bises from Tamaki. I don’t care that it is the proper greeting in France.”

“Oh, okay, if you say so.” She smiled and caressed his cheek. “We’d better get to our next test.”

<OHSHC>

The Host Club and the professionals invited to participate in Takashi’s networking event were enjoying a quiet dinner in the small dining room. Haruhi sat between Ryo Naruse and Mei Nagano, chatting about business at the law office. Mei commented, “I’m so glad you have continued with your internship even though you’ve been so busy with school.”

“I concur,” Ryo interjected. “Your unique perspective has been very helpful in some significant cases.”

Haruhi smiled, “The experience has been very educational and the contacts I’ve made have proved to be invaluable.”

Hikaru and Kaoru cornered the representatives from the Marketing and Public Relations firm that handled the Haninozuka/Morinozuka dojos. Hikaru asked, “So which is more important, marketing or public relations?” Then he and Kaoru sat back and watched the good-natured bickering. It was obvious that this was an on-going debate between the two representatives.

Kosaku Ito and Takashi were debating the merits of working for an international accounting firm versus a national firm for gaining experience.

Tamaki approached Taishi Nakamura and asked, “So, how did you get into surveying?”

Chuckling, Taishi replied, “As a kid, I found maps fascinating. I wanted to know more about how they could be so detailed and so accurate.”

Tadanobu Asano cornered Kyoya. “How is your new fiscal agent working out?” he asked with a small smile.

Kyoya nodded. “He is working out well. My investments have been doing so much better. He’s even provided so very sound advice that has doubled the value of my portfolio without adding unnecessary risk.”

“Then it sounds like he’s doing his job properly,” Mr. Asano responded.

Mitsukuni looked around the room at all the conversations going on. “ _I feel a headache coming on. I should just head up to bed. I wonder if Haruhi would come sit with me for a while. That always seems to help me sleep better.”_

While everyone was enjoying dessert, Takashi stood and said, “I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to help me with this class project. The networking event will begin in half an hour. We can wait in the lobby for my classmates to arrive. That will give Kairi and his crew time to get the dining room set up.”

As everyone was filing out of the room, Mitsukuni slipped up next to Haruhi and touched her arm. Turning to see who wanted her attention, she smiled at him. “What do you need?” she asked gently.

“I was hoping you could sit with me for a bit. I have this awful headache,” Mitsukuni whimpered.

“Of course, I can,” she responded, taking his hand.

Tamaki and the twins appeared at Haruhi’s other elbow. “Can we come too?” Tamaki pleaded.

Looking at the trio, she noted the exhaustion in their faces. “As long as you can be quiet. Mitsukuni has a headache.”

“Quiet sounds good to me,” Hikaru replied with a sigh.

“Okay, let me go tell Takashi why we’re deserting him,” she stated. “Wait for me by the elevator.”

The four slowly made their way to the elevator while Haruhi approached Takashi and Kyoya who were talking to the professionals. She waited for a lull in the conversation before she laid a hand on Takashi’s arm.

“I’m taking these four upstairs,” Haruhi said, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb. “Mitsukuni has a headache and the other three are tired,” she explained.

Takashi’s brow furrowed. “Not another headache. They’ve been getting more frequent. I’m glad you’re here for him. Hopefully your presence will help him get the rest he needs.”

“I’ll do what I can.” Touching Kyoya’s arm she added, “I’ll see you two after the event. I hope it goes well.”

“Thanks,” Kyoya replied. Takashi just smiled and nodded.

Meeting the others at the elevator, the five headed upstairs to Mitsukuni’s apartment. After unlocking the door, he grabbed Haruhi’s hand and gently pulled her over to the sofa. Once she sat down, he climbed into her lap, wrapped his arms around her, and promptly fell asleep.

The other three stood there looking awkward and uncomfortable. “Hikaru, you sit here,” she said, patting the spot to her right on the sofa. Hesitantly, he sat down and leaned on her shoulder. Following his lead, Kaoru sat down on her left.

Seeing the disappointed look on Tamaki’s face, she coaxed, “Would you like to sit here on the floor and put your head on my knee?”

Brightening like a puppy offered a treat AND a belly rub, he plopped down, resting his head on her knee, and looking up at her with adoring eyes.

Mitsukuni whimpered and shifted on Haruhi’s lap. She ran her fingers through his hair and helped his settle more comfortably. Pointing to a blanket on the arm of the sofa, she whispered to Hikaru, “Would you hand me that?”

Instead of handing it to Haruhi, he stood up and gently tucked it snuggly around Mitsukuni, securing him to her. She smiled at him in thanks as he sat back down.

Now that both her hands were free, she reached up to the twins and caressed their faces. “You two look tired. Why don’t you close your eyes and take a short nap?”

Kaoru made a disappointed sound and started to get up. Haruhi pulled his head back down to her shoulder. “I meant right here. My shoulder should be comfortable enough for a twenty minute nap.”

Smiling broadly but sleepily, both twins wrapped their arms around her, careful not to wake Mitsukuni. They cuddle into Haruhi and were asleep within minutes.

Then she reached down and started running her fingers through Tamaki’s unruly blond locks. “Just relax and rest. You have plenty of time before you need to get things set up for Kyoya’s surprise birthday party.”

Tamaki snuggled into her knee and mumbled, “You’re the best, Okaa-san,” as he drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the small dining room, the networking event was just getting started. All of Takashi’s classmates had arrived, eager to talk to the professionals. Takashi stood up at the front of the room and introduced the professionals, giving their name and field of expertise. Then he gestured to the refreshments table, and said, “Please feel free to help yourselves as you mingle and talk.”

Kyoya stood unobtrusively at the back of the room, taking notes on a clipboard. “ _He’s doing well despite his naturally taciturn manner. Haruhi has been good for him._ ” He sighed and tried to shake his melancholy mood.

Twenty minutes later, upstairs in Mitsukuni’s apartment, Haruhi started gently to awaken Tamaki and the twins. She kissed the top of Hikaru’s head and whispered, “Time to wake up, sleepyhead. You have decorating to do.” He shifted and mumbled, “Just five more minutes.”

She smiled to herself and turned to Kaoru, placing a kiss on the top of his head. “Time to set things up for Kyoya’s surprise party.” He hummed and nuzzled into her neck.

Chuckling, she reached down and started running her fingers through Tamaki’s hair. “Nap time’s over. You need to get to work.” His eyelids flutter and he blinked sleepily. “I thought I just fell asleep. Has it really been twenty minutes already?”

Seeing the clock, his eyes popped open and he jumped up. “We have so much to do and so little time…” he started to say loudly, before he caught the expression on Haruhi’s face warning him not to wake Mitsukuni.

More quietly, he prodded Hikaru and Kaoru awake and motioned for them to follow him. Reluctantly, they released their holds on Haruhi and followed Tamaki.

After the soft click of the door closing, Haruhi looked down, and was surprised to see Mitsukuni’s warm brown eyes. “I thought they’d never leave,” he muttered grumpily.

She kissed his forehead. “Did they wake you up?” she asked, rubbing his back gently.

“Tamaki was a little loud. Do you mind if I sleep a little longer,” he replied rubbing his eyes.

“You have time, so go back to sleep.” She returned to rubbing his back and then started running her fingers through his hair. Slowly his eyelids fluttered shut again. She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. He smiled in his sleep and snuggled his face deeper into her neck.

Down the hall, Tamaki and the twins were frantically decorating Tamaki’s apartment. “We need to hurry,” Tamaki ordered. “Kairi will be bringing the cake up in half an hour.”

In a flurry, they rearranged the furniture, hung streamers, and blew up balloons. Finally, they were ready for the last decoration, a banner that read “Happy Birthday, Kyoya.”

Hikaru and Kaoru were on stepstools, ready to attach it to the wall across from the door. Tamaki said, “It’s crooked. Hikaru, raise your side an inch.” Tilting his head, he continued, “Lower you end two inches, Kaoru.”

He stepped back and held up his hands, making L’s to frame the banner. Tilting his head the other way, he ordered, “Hikaru, lower your side an inch.” He shook his head. “It still isnt’ even.”

Hikaru growled, “If you’d look at it…”

“Without tilting your head,” Kaoru continued.

“You might notice that it’s fine already,” they finished in unison.

“Sorry,” he replied sheepishly. “I just want everything to be perfect for my best friend’s birthday.”

“We understand,” they continued in unison, “but nit picking at something that’s fine won’t help.”

A knock on the door drew Tamaki’s attention. He hurried over to open it and found Kairi with a decadent chocolate mousse cake. On top was written, “Happy 17th Birthday Kyoya.” Tamaki stood aside to let Kairi take the cake over and set it on the table under the banner.

Glancing up, Kairi said, “Hey, great job on getting the banner straight.” The twins just smirked at Tamaki.

Downstairs, the networking event was wrapping up. Takashi stood at the front of the room again. “To all the professionals, thank you so much for coming tonight. Kyoya has evaluations for you to fill out regarding your experience tonight. For my classmates, I have evaluation forms for you to fill out. Are there any questions?” Hearing no response, he said, “Once again, thank you for coming tonight.”

Fifteen minutes later, Takashi and Kyoya were alone in the small dining room. “I’m glad that’s over,” Takashi admitted. “Social events have never been my strong suit.”

Kyoya chuckled. “I’ve notice that during a lot of the Host Club events. You tend to focus on Mitsukuni so you don’t get overwhelmed. You did very well tonight. The professionals were very impressed, especially Mr. Asano. He’s worked with your father before on investments and knows the taciturn nature of Morinozuka men.”

Takashi shook his head. “I’m just glad it’s over. I need to check on Mitsukuni before I take you home. His headaches are really starting to worry me.”

The pair went up the Mitsukuni’s apartment and slipped in quietly. Haruhi looked up from where she was standing behind a chair, massaging Mitsukuni’s shoulders.

“Feeling better?” Takashi asked.

“A little better. The nap and massage helped,” he replied, rolling his shoulders.

“How’d the event go?” Haruhi asked.

Takashi smiled and said, “Good. I’m glad it’s done though.”

“I guess it’s time for me to go home,” Kyoya interjected.

Takashi responded, “Let’s tell Tamaki and the twins we’re leaving.” He led the way to Tamaki’s apartment and knocked twice before opening the door.

“SURPRISE!”

Kyoya looked confused until he saw the banner, then his face relaxed into a small smile. “Even after Father denied your request to throw me a birthday party, you did it anyway.”

“But of course, mon ami,” Tamaki offered smugly.

Haruhi stepped up and wrapped an arm around his waist. “Come on; let’s not stand here in the door wasting time. We need to give you your gifts and have cake before your father calls, wondering where you are.”

“Very well. Let’s get this party started.” While the other five were occupied, Kyoya whispered in Haruhi’s ear, “I thought you gave me my present yesterday?”

Haruhi giggle softly, “I brought you a gift tonight as well. If we told them I gave your birthday present to you yesterday, they’d ask what it was—and would that be a little awkward.”

Surreptitiously checking to be sure no one was watching, Kyoya kissed Haruhi’s temple. “Does that mean I don’t get another one tonight?”

Haruhi hummed, “We’ll see.”

Tamaki came bounding over and grabbed Kyoya’s arm. “Come on birthday boy, open your presents so we can have cake.”

“You do realize that you’re starting to sound like Mitsukuni?” Kyoya teased.

“Doesn’t matter,” Tamaki said absentmindedly. “Here. Open your present from me.” He thrust an envelope into Kyoya’s hands.

Opening the envelope, Kyoya pulled out five certificates that read ‘Preferred Voting Stock – Le Grand Paris Hotel.’ “Thank you, Tamaki. This will be useful if I travel to France.”

The gifts from Mitsukuni, Takashi, Hikaru, and Kaoru were all in the same vein, some form of financial investment.

Haruhi left a little self-conscious as she handed his the small wrapped package. “ _It’s nothing special but I hope he likes it.”_

Kyoya opened the package to find a small black notebook held closed with an attached elastic band and a small elastic loop on the side with a simple black pen. “Thank you, Haruhi. This is quite novel. The band will hold things in the notebook and it can’t get lost because it’s attached.”

“Yay,” Mitsukuni cheered. “The presents are open. Now we can have cake.”

A few minutes later Takashi announced, “Kyoya and I need to get going. Any longer and Yoshio might get suspicious.”

<OHSHC>

“You can just drop me off at the house,” Kyoya offered.

Takashi shook his head. “I wish to express my thanks to your father for your invaluable assistance.”

They climbed out of the limousine and walked up the steps. Before they reached the door, it opened and the butler intoned, “Master Kyoya, your father wished to speak with you before you retire for the evening.”

“Very well. Morinozuka-san would like a brief audience with Father this evening, if it is convenient,” Kyoya replied.

The butler bowed. “I shall apprise him of your request. Please wait here in the vestibule.”

The pair shared a companionable silence while they waited for the butler. Within a few minutes, he returned and relayed, “Otori-sama will see you now, Morinozuka-san.”

“Thank you,” Takashi said and bowed his head in acknowledgement before following the butler to Yoshio’s office.

When Takashi entered, Yoshio looked up and asked, “I take it Kyoya’s assistance was satisfactory?”

“Most satisfactory. In addition to helping me polish this event, he also gave me tools to plan events on my own in the future,” Takashi reported. Bowing formally at the waist, he continued, “I appreciate your willingness to allow me access to his expertise. The event would not have been a success without him.”

Yoshio nodded his head regally, accepting the accolade. “Thank you for your report. Good evening.”

Recognizing the dismissal, Takashi exited the office. Kyoya was waiting just outside. A look and a nod passed between the two as the taller was led to the front door by the butler.

Kyoya braced himself and entered his father’s office. “ _My balance is double the minimum he requires and I’ve attended every family gathering. What more does he want from me?_ _Did he find out about the birthday party? Is he going to demand I quit the Host Club?_ ” he thought darkly.

When Yoshio looked up at Kyoya, he was actually smiling.

A shiver ran down Kyoya’s spine. “ _I can’t tell if that smile is a good or bad sign.”_

“Kyoya, I understand you did well on this assignment,” Yoshio stated, steepling his fingers. “In light of this and other…changes, I’ve decided to relax your restrictions. You may have one hour after Host Club and any outings will require just a three-day notice. Dismissed.” Yoshio looked down and returned to his paperwork.

Bowing, he left his father’s office struggling to keep his stoic mask firmly in place over his astonishment and giddiness. _“I will have to find a way to thank Takashi and Haruhi. I’m sure that Father’s change of heart has to do with his good report on tonight and her prompting to take the challenge tests.”_

<OHSHC>

The next few weeks were a flurry of activities, including class projects, exams, and Christmas cosplays. “I’m so excited,” Tamaki enthused. “Christmas at Hinansho is going to be so much fun. I know all of you have family obligations for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but I hope you’ll find some time to spend with us.”

Haruhi pulled his into a hug and replied, “I’m so glad you’ll have someone to celebrate Christmas with this year.”

When Tamaki started to tighten the hug to the point she had trouble breathing, she looked at him sharply. Embarrassed, he released her and said, “Sorry,” sheepishly.

“What about us?” the twins demanded in unison, engulfing her in a huge hug.

“You two always have family to celebrate with. Tamaki has been isolated and ignored by his family.”

“I guess you’re right,” Hikaru conceded, rubbing his cheek against hers.

“But we still want your attention,” Kaoru continued, rubbing her other cheek with his.

“Okay—enough guys,” Haruhi said, trying to break out of their grasp.

When the twins started to tighten their grip on her, she found herself being gently extracted and carried over to where Mitsukuni was waiting for his hug.

“You’ll be at Hinansho the day after Christmas, right?” Mitsukuni pleaded.

Running her fingers through his hair, she assured, “Of course. Dad and I plan to spend the 26th through the 28th at Hinansho. It should be a lot of fun to relax there together.”

“I’ll miss you until then,” he murmured, snuggling into her side.

She kissed to top of his head and replied, “I’ll miss you, too.”

Warm strong arms enveloped her from behind and a deep voice whispered in her ear, “I’ll miss you, too.”

Haruhi reached up and caressed Takashi’s cheek. “It’s only a few days and we’ll all be busy with family obligations,” she whispered back.

Tamaki interrupted by announcing, “I’m off to Hinansho. See you all in a few days.” Waving, he left Music Room Three.

“We need to go as well,” Hikaru said.

Kaoru continued, “Ageha asked us to help her shop for gifts for Mom and Dad.” Wrapping arms around each other’s waists, they waved with their free hands as they left.

“Can we give you a ride home?” Mitsukuni asked hopefully.

Haruhi smiled. “Thanks for the offer, but Kyoya was going to give me a ride home while we discuss our online classes.”

“Okay. See you soon,” Mitsukuni replied, grabbing Takashi’s hand and heading for the door.

“We should get going as well. Ryoji just sent me a text asking when you will be home,” Kyoya said.

She slipped her arm through his and replied, “Lead on.”

<OHSHC>

The Otori Christmas Eve Charity Gala was the lead story for all the society columns—as usual. 

Tamaki spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with the residents of Hinansho decorating and deciding on traditions for the Hinan family. 

The twins spent Christmas at their parents’ Charity Fashion Show. 

Mitsukuni and Takashi renewed their ties with their cousins from the extended Haninozuka-Morinozuka clan. 

Haruhi and Ryoji spent their usual Christmas visiting Kotoko’s grave and sharing memories of Christmases past.

All of the hosts planned to meet for lunch at Hinansho, but Haruhi and Ryoji were the last to arrive.

As Atsuhiro pulled up in front of Hinansho, Ryoji cooed, “It looks so GRAND! Oh, Haruhi, have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”

“Yeah, Dad, it is beautiful. Knowing Tamaki, it’s even more beautiful on the inside. Let’s not keep everyone waiting,” Haruhi answered. “Hey, Atsuhiro, thanks for picking us up.”

He smiled in response. “Glad to do it. Things just aren’t the same when you’re not here. Let me help you with your bags.”

“You may have to fight them for it,” she laughed, pointing to the Host Club pouring out the front door and heading in their direction.

“I surrender. At least I had the pleasure of your company during the drive. And yours, Ryoji,” Atsuhiro teased.

“Oh, you flirt,” Ryoji pouted, swatting at him playfully.

Grinning, Atsuhiro said, “Now that your faithful knights have retrieved your baggage, this knave should get the carriage stowed in the garage.”

“See you at lunch,” Haruhi called as Atsuhiro waved and drove away in the direction of the garage.

Tamaki grabbed her in a hug and simpered, “I’m so glad you’re finally here.” Before she could say anything or react, she was spun out of his hug and into one with the twins.

“Whoa, guys, hold up. You’re making me dizzy here,” Haruhi protested. “We have three days together. I’ll have time to spend with each of you.”

Takashi picked up the bags and was about to start inside when Haruhi asked, “Wait. Where’s Mitsukuni?”

“Reiko arrived for a short visit. She and Mitsukuni are in the lounge, catching up,” Takashi answered.

“That’s wonderful. I know he’s missed her while she’s been studying in England.” Haruhi grabbed Kyoya and Tamaki’s arms while Ryoji grabbed the twins and they all trooped inside.

Once Ryoji and Haruhi were inside, Hibiki greeted them, “You’re finally here. Tamaki wouldn’t let us start any of the after-Christmas activities until you two arrived. He has so many plans, I don’t know if we’ll get them all done in just three days, but it will be fun to try.”

“Yay, you’re finally here,” Tamaki shouted. “Now the fun begin. I designed some games that will be fun to play together and help undecorated Hinansho so the staff doesn’t have to. The first game is ‘Find the Mistletoe.’ I hung twelve sprigs of mistletoe in the main house. When you find one, you have to kiss the person you’re with—on the cheek is fine—and then bring it to the scoreboard at the front desk. Hang it in the next available slot and write your names underneath. That game will continue until all of the sprigs are found. I’m not participating because that would be cheating.”

“Good to know,” Hikaru teased.

Ignoring him, Tamaki continued excitedly, “The game we will be playing after lunch is…”

Haruhi stopped listening to Tamaki’s monologue when Kyoya caught her eye, winked, and mouthed, “Let’s win the mistletoe game.”


	6. And So It Begins

Tamaki was idly surfing the web on his phone as him limousine left Hinansho after the Hinan Family After-Christmas Celebration ended. “ _I really don’t want to go back to the Second Suoh Mansion_ ,” he thought glumly. Suddenly, an upcoming holiday caught his eye. 

“ _Hatsumode. That’s it. We’ll go the the Yushima Tenman-gu shrine for Academic Success together. It’s perfect since University admissions testing starts in a few weeks_.” He spent the rest of the ride home composing a text message to send to the rest of the Host Club.

“ _What does he want now? Didn’t we just see each other ten minutes ago?”_ Kyoya grumbled inwardly as he received Tamaki’s text. Opening the text and reading it, Kyoya’s expression of annoyance relaxed. “ _That isn’t a half bad idea he has—for once. And it coincides with the science and history challenge tests Haruhi and I will be taking._ ” He composed a text to send to the Host Club, endorsing Tamaki’s suggestion. Then he composed a separate one to Haruhi, referencing their next set of challenge test and their study schedule.

Although Haruhi heard the text alerts on her phone, she decided to wait until she got home to look at them. “ _I need to stop at the supermarket on the way home and see what the sales are so I can plan dinners for this week. Then I need to stop at the bakery to check the day-old bread._ ”

Hikaru and Kaoru had turned off their phones because they were headed to a photo shoot for the new Spring Line. “Too bad we can’t make it to London for Fashion Week next month,” Hikaru said, flipping through a fashion magazine.

“Yeah,” Kaoru responded. “At least we’ll have the place to ourselves since Ageha is going with Mom and Dad.”

Mitsukuni and Takashi checked their phones at the same time when the texts came in. Mitsukuni said, “That will be easy for us. It’s only a five-minute walk from our apartment. Maybe we could suggest that everyone meet at our place for lunch.”

Takashi nodded and sent a text to everyone with the suggestion.

<OHSHC>

The Host Club, minus Haruhi and Kyoya, lounged around Mitsukuni and Takashi’s apartment chatting idly about their planned trip to the shrine later that day.

Hikaru asked, “Where’s Haruhi?”

“And Kyoya?” Kaoru continued.

”Somewhere making out?” they finished in unison, waggling their eyebrows suggestively.

Takashi shook his head. “They have two challenge tests today.” He checked the time. “The first one should finish soon. Don’t worry; they plan to have lunch with us.”

“They will be coming to the shrine with us, right?” Tamaki inquired anxiously.

“Well, that depends on when you want to head to the shrine,” Mitsukuni explained. “They have another test after lunch…”

A knock at the door interrupted him. When he opened it, there was Haruhi and Kyoya.

“You made it,” Mitsukuni cheered, wrapping his arms around Haruhi’s waist and pulling her into a hug.

She hugged him back and laughed. “It hasn’t even been two hours since we dropped off our satchels.”

“But it felt like so much longer,” he whined cutely.

Kyoya cleared his throat. “We should probably have lunch. Haruhi and I only have an hour before the next test begins.”

“Lunch is ready. We were just waiting for you two,” Takashi said, gesturing toward the kitchen.

Forty-five minutes later, Haruhi and Kyoya prepared to leave for their next test. “We’ll be back in about two hours,” Haruhi said.

<OHSHC>

Kyoya was leaning against the wall in the hallway outside the room where Haruhi had been taking her history challenge text. “About time you finished,” he teased.

She laughed. “I was re-reading everything to be sure I hadn’t missed anything when a fact in the article on Pearl Harbor caught my attention. I’ll read up on it more later.”

Kyoya smirked, “Ever the studious one.”

“But not right now. We have a shrine visit to make with our friends,” she retorted, stepping in front of him and leaned forward with her hands clasped behind her back. “Or should we keep them waiting while we go somewhere and make out?”

Chuckling, Kyoya shook his head. “I wonder if those idiots realized just how loud they were talking.” He leaned in close and said, “Speaking of making out, your birthday is coming up next month. We should start planning your party.”

Blushing at his innuendo, Haruhi groaned, “Ugh, you know I don’t like birthday parties.”

“Yes, I know. But you know Tamaki and the twins will not let it go. Besides, I have an idea for the perfect birthday present for you,” Kyoya goaded.

Haruhi huffed. “I don’t have to have a party for you to give me a present.”

Kyoya smiled and leaned his face to within inches of hers. “Oh, I remember. You actually gave me my present early because supposedly there wasn’t going to be a birthday party.”

Her blush darkening, Haruhi backed away. “We should get going. They’ll be waiting for us.”

“But I thought we were going to make out,” Kyoya purred.

“Oh, you,” Haruhi responded, swatting playfully at his shoulder before heading for the door.

<OHSHC>

After much debate, the Host Club decided that Haruhi’s birthday would not be celebrated during Host Club hours with the guests. “It’s just too close to Valentine’s Day,” Tamaki said decisively. 

Hikaru interjected, “It will be better…”

“…as a hosts-only party anyway,” Kaoru continued.

“Then no one will question the gifts we give her,” they finished in unison.

Haruhi sighed. “Well, if it’s just us, then it doesn’t have to be elaborate.”

“That’s right,” Tamaki affirmed.

Kyoya spoke up. “Actually, it might be nice if we could to go Hinansho for dinner as part of the celebration. We can have Kairi keep it simple.” He sent a text to Mitsukuni and Takashi to be sure it would work for them as well.

“That sounds like a birthday I can handle. Could we invite my dad, too?” Haruhi asked.

“I don’t see why not?” Kyoya replied. “I’ll text him now.”

“So…” the twins asked mischievously, “what do you want for your birthday?” They sidled up to her and rubbed their cheeks against hers. 

“Maybe a string bikini?” Kaoru suggested.

“Or a negligee?” Hikaru purred, waggling an eyebrow suggestively, while wrapping his arm around her waist.

Haruhi rolled her eyes and pushed them away. “You both know I would never wear either of those.”

Kyoya fought hard to keep his stoic mask in place as his teenage male mind conjured images on Haruhi in the outfits the twins mentioned. It was difficult because he was also fighting the flare of jealousy from watching them touch her so casually.

He was distracted by a *ding* from his phone. It was quickly followed by a second *ding*. Kyoya opened the first text and read it. “Mitsukuni says that he and Takashi will be able to make it,” he reported.

He read the second message. “Unfortunately, Ryoji says he won’t be able to make it. He has to work.”

Haruhi sighed and shrugged. “I guess it’s fine that Dad can’t make it. He and I have plans to go to brunch on Sunday to celebrate my birthday, anyway.”

Tamaki swept her into a hug and exclaimed, “Don’t worry. We’ll make your birthday extra special.”

<OHSHC>

As the guest of honor, Haruhi sat at the head of the table. She smiled as she contemplated her friends who insisted they needed to celebrate her birthday. “ _I really haven’t celebrated my birthday since Mom died. Dad tried a few times but it would just remind him of her and then he’d get sad._ ”

“Now that we’ve finished dinner, it’s time for presents,” Mitsukuni declared, hopping up and grabbing a box from the table by the door. It was where all the young men had placed their gifts before dinner.

When he thrust the box at her, she laughed and took it. “Okay, I’ll open yours first.” Carefully, she picked at the seams of the wrapping paper. Setting the paper aside, she opened the box and lifted out a chocolate brown hoodie with writing on the front that looked like vanilla icing. It read, ‘Naturally Sweet.’

“Oh, Mitsukuni, this is great.” She pulled it on. “I look like a decorated chocolate cake.”

Unexpectedly, Mitsukuni kissed her cheek and teased, “I’ll try to restrain myself. You know how much I like cake.”

The room went silent as the five other men thought as one, “ _Did he really just say that?_ ”

The tension was broken when Haruhi started to laugh. 

Mitsukuni just looked confused until he realized how what he’d said could be interpreted. Blushing furiously, he sputtered, “I didn’t mean it like that. Really.”

Haruhi placed a hand on his shoulder and replied, “I know you didn’t. Don’t worry.” She kissed his cheek and he dropped back into his chair, his face hot with embarrassment.

To break everyone out of their shock, Haruhi asked, “So who’s going to give me my next present?”

Recovering quickly, Takashi stated, “I will.” He brought over a box from the table and handed it to her with a bow.

Opening the gift, Haruhi gasped. “Oh, Takashi. It’s beautiful. Wherever did you find a briefcase with the Hinan kanji on the clasp?”

“It’s standard practice to have something added to the clasp of a briefcase to make it distinctive. The shop owner was puzzled about why I wanted to put ‘refuge’ on a briefcase. I felt no need to indulge his curiosity,” Takashi replied before he placed a kiss on her cheek and gave her a disarming smile.

“Me next. Me next,” Tamaki shouted as he ran to the table and picked up a small jewelry box that looked like it might contain a bracelet. Thrusting it into her hands, he chanted, “Open it. Open it. Open it.”

Haruhi chuckled at his puppy-like exuberance. “ _He knows I don’t wear jewelry, so what did…_ ” Her eyes widened as she opened the case and found what appeared to be a cherry blossom branch freshly plucked from a tree—nearly impossible given that it was February after all. Picking it up gingerly, she exclaimed, “Oh, Tamaki, it’s incredible.”

“It’s a hairclip made by a local artist who works with scrap metal,” Tamaki babbled. “After he shapes it, he enamels and glazes it. His work always looks true-to-life.”

To stop him, she gently kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, Tamaki. It’s beautiful.” She reached up and carefully fastened it into her hair.

“Our turn,” the twins chorused. Hikaru handed her a box and explained, “This is for those times when you need to stand out from the crowd, like at an interview.”

“And this is for those cocktail and office parties that inevitably come with being a lawyer—or at least a lawyer-in-training, for now,” Kaoru continued as he handed her another box.

Haruhi opened the box from Hikaru and found a new suit. This one was not the usual black or navy blue. It was a soft dove gray with an unbleached linen blouse. There was also a pair of wedge shoes to match that added height but with stability. “Wow, Hikaru. You’ve outdone yourself.”

He just smirked. “Now open Kaoru’s,” he prompted.

Opening the next box, she found a black dress. It looked simple and plain at first glance, but then she noticed the embroidery. The fabric was black but there were designs stitched in a shiny black thread. “Oh my, Kaoru. It’s stunning,” she breathed.

He blushed slightly and responded, “I’m glad you like it. There are also a string of onyx beads and comfortable black kitten heels to go with it.”

She drew the pair into a hug and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, guys. They’re beautiful.”

Haruhi looked over at the table to be sure that was everything when Tamaki blurted out, “Kyoya, you haven’t given your gift to Haruhi but there’s nothing left on the table.”

Kyoya rolled his eyes at his best friend as he reached into his inside jacket pocket and withdrew a small manila envelope. “That’s because it’s right here,” he replied in amusement.

Handing it to her, Kyoya said softly, “Happy birthday, Haruhi. I hope you like it.”

Opening the envelope, she pulled out a slim leather booklet. As she examined it, her eyes lit up and she said in awe, “My passport? You got me my passport? Oh, thank you so much.”

Kyoya was caught off guard when she threw her arms around him and kissed him soundly.

The other hosts snickered, as Kyoya was unable to control the blush coloring his cheeks.

Finally releasing Kyoya, she looked at all of them and exclaimed, “Thank you, guys. You’ve made this the best birthday ever.”

<OHSHC>

Kyoya rubbed his eyes tiredly and checked the time. “It’s 11:00 already. At least I only have to check the London markets and then I can all it a night.” Opening a new browser window on his laptop, he went to his bookmarks for the London news site he considered the most reliable. When the page finished buffering, he heard:

**“…reporting live from the Knightsbridge district of London where just one hour ago London’s Fashion Week was rocked by a terrorist attack. There have been 27 confirmed deaths, including the four suicide bombers. The fashion world is in shock, waiting to hear the status of the designers, models, photographers, celebrities, and buyers present at the venue. In addition to the casualties, there are hundreds injured and at least 40 missing. Hospitals and clinics are…”**

Kyoya tuned out the rest of the report as a conversation he had heard in the Music Room Three a few days ago flashed to mind.

**^^^^^FLASHBACK^^^^^**

_“Yeah, the folks will be gone for the next two weeks. It’s Fashion Week in London and they’re premiering their new casual line,” Hikaru chuckled._

_Kaoru added, “They even took Ageha with them because she’s modeling the new children’s line. Let’s have movie night at our house on Friday and then spend the weekend having fun.”_

**^^^^^END FLASHBACK^^^^^**

He hadn’t even finished processing the memory when he picked up his phone and pressed speed dial for his agent in London.

“Yes, sir?” the answer came almost immediately. “You heard about the bombings? None of your properties were affected.”

“Yes, I just heard about the bombings, and thank you for the report on my properties, but right now I want you to find out the status of the Hitachiins. My information says they were at London’s Fashion Week.”

“On it, sir.”

Kyoya couldn’t wait idly. Although he hoped that it wouldn’t be bad news, he anticipated the worst. “ _How will I break it to Hikaru and Kaoru? What will I say? What will they do? Wait…this was one of the scenarios we ran through last summer when we were setting up the Hinan family.”_ Opening his safe, he flipped through the stack of folders.

“I hope it’s good news when my agent calls back, but, just in case, I need to start preparations. The forms will need to be signed and filed as soon as possible. Their grandmother is so flighty; it could take months to locate her. The twins really don’t need to kind of uncertainty in addition to their grief.” He had just located the files he needed when his phone rang.

“Yes?” Kyoya answered tightly, the tension making his voice almost a growl.

“Sir, I regret to inform you that the Hitachiins are among the confirmed casualties. They were at the main catwalk where the first suicide bomber activated his vest. If it’s any consolation, they were at ground zero and died instantly. They didn’t suffer,” his agent reported.

“Wait, what about the daughter? She was supposed to be with them, modeling their new children’s line,” Kyoya interrupted.

“There were no children in the footage from just before the bomb blasts. I think the children’s lines were in the morning. Maybe the nanny took her back to the hotel. I’ll look into it and get back to you.”

“Do you have any more to report?”

“The second bomber was in the changing area, the third was in the press room, and the fourth was in the VIP lounge. There was also damage to the hotels near the venue,” he continued.

Kyoya’s breath caught in his throat, grief for his friends starting to overwhelm him. “ _I need to get a grip and hold on until the twins are informed and the paperwork is dealt with. At least we have the notarized affidavits from the Hitachiins stating that, in the event anything happened to both of them, the children are to be adopted into the Hinan family. I’m glad the letter finally came from the grandmother concurring with the adoption directive.”_

Giving himself a mental shake, he responded, “Thank you for the information. Offer the services of the security force there to help in any way possible. Call in the clinic staffs to assist with the wounded and the mental health trauma teams to help the survivors. Send me a preliminary written report in 24 hours.”

“Yes, sir. My condolences to your friends.”

Kyoya was too overcome to reply, so he simply ended the call.

**^^^^^FLASHBACK – SUMMER AT HINANSHO^^^^^**

_Haruhi idly push food around her plate. “Guys, I’d like to spend an hour or so this afternoon thinking about scenarios where the Hinan family can be a refuge for each of us.”_

_“What’s the rush?” Mitsukuni asked._

_“I had some really bad dreams last night,” Haruhi admitted. “In some of them, I lost my dad. In others, things were happening to take you guys away.” She shuddered at the memories._

_Kyoya stated, “I concur with Haruhi about examining potential scenarios and how to respond. We need to have files of paperwork ready so we’re not scrambling if something happens to one or more of us.”_

_“That’s really a good idea,” Kaoru mused._

_Hikaru added, “Especially after what happened to Kami Tsuchiya three years ago.”_

_All the hosts but Tamaki and Haruhi had haunted looks on their faces._

_“Who was Kami and what happened?” Tamaki queried._

_They all looked to Kyoya to relate the story._

_He took breath to put his thoughts in order and then began. “Kami attended Ouran, a year behind Hikaru and Kaoru. Her parents had a very prosperous perfume business that collaborated with the Hitachiins on a number of occasions. Kami’s parents were her only family.”_

_He paused to look at Hikaru and Kaoru for approval that he had the fact correct. They both nodded and Kyoya continued, “Her parents were killed in a plane crash and she was placed in a government orphanage and the estate was placed in trust to provide for her support. Within a year, the trust had been exhausted because the perfume company was sold for a paltry sum. Then Kami disappeared and no one knows what happened to her. Everyone suspected corruption in the government but no one could prove anything.”_

_Kaoru interjected, “She was nice enough to us when she came over with her parents, but we were stuck in our own little world at that time and didn’t pay much attention.”_

_“She wasn’t the only one,“ Takashi added. “There are rumors that the government snatches up any orphaned minors of elite families in order to plunder their fortunes. Usually the children disappear from the orphanage within a year, never to be seen or heard from again.”_

_“It sounds like an urban legend,” Haruhi said skeptically._

_“Every urban legend has a kernel of truth in it to keep it alive,” Kyoya stated._

_Mitsukuni spoke up. “Even those of us with extended family should have something in place just in case a catastrophe happens.”_

_“Right. Let’s get to work,” Tamaki proclaimed._

**^^^^^END FLASHBACK^^^^^**

Laying the phone aside for a moment, Kyoya focused on the three folders in his hand. _“When we created these files, I had hoped we would never need to use them. I wish this hadn’t happened, but at least we have a plan in place to prevent them from being placed in the government orphan system since their grandparents are so difficult to locate.”_

Kyoya took a deep breath, picked up the phone and dialed. “Tachibana, I know it’s late, but there’s an emergency. I need you to drive me to the Hitachiin estate as soon as possible.”

“On my way, sir. I will text your father about the emergency to address his demand for ‘pre-approval’ of any reasons for you to leave the estate.”

While he waited for the car, Kyoya sorted through the twins’ files for the paperwork related to the scenario of their parents’ death. _“I’ll take Ageha’s file with me, even though we don’t know yet if it will be needed._ ” Then he texted Fuyumi and Ryoji to let them know the situation and the need for their signatures. Next, he composed a message to text to Tamaki, Haruhi, Takashi, and Mitsukuni, asking them to get to the Hitachiin estate as soon as possible. He hit *Send* just as Tachibana pulled up in the car.

“Thank you for your promptness,” Kyoya said as he opened the car door. Just then, his phone rang. Tamaki’s panicked voice could be heard even before Kyoya lifted the phone to his ear. “What’s happened? What’s the emergency?”

Settling into the seat and keeping a tight rein on his emotions, Kyoya gestured to Tachibana that he was ready as he continued to deal with Tamaki’s hysterics.

“I’ll explain when we are all together at Hikaru and Kaoru’s. Please pick up Haruhi and bring her,” Kyoya interjected over Tamaki’s rambling.

“She’s already there. They left together after Host Club. I heard them talking about a huge class project they had to complete. Ryoji gave his permission for her to stay over because he was working an extra-long shift and they planned to work on the project until very late.”

“ _Thankfully that’s one less thing to worry about_ ,” Kyoya mused. Then he interrupted Tamaki again. “Okay, that takes care of that. Just get there as soon as possible.” Unwilling, or unable, to deal with any more of Tamaki’s theatrics, Kyoya ended the call.

He spent the remaining time of the brief car trip trying to decide how to break the news to Hikaru and Kaoru. “ _It’s going to be a blow, no matter how I say it. And there’s still the uncertainty about Ageha. At least we’ll all be together through this.”_ He could feel the muscles in his shoulders tightening. When he looked down, he found that his hands were gripped in fists so tight the knuckles were turning white.

His phone rang and he saw the ID as his London agent. “Yes?”

“Sir, I was able to confirm that the nanny took the girl back to the hotel. However, the bombings ruptured a gas line and subsequent explosions damaged the hotel. All of the occupants were evacuated to various locations, safe distances from the blast zone. I have not been able to ascertain which evacuation site the girl and nanny were sent to, so I have been unable to get definitive confirmation that she is still alive. What are your orders?”

“Find her and her nanny. If they are still alive, take them to either the townhouse or the Japanese Embassy.”

“Yes, sir. I will keep you updated.”

A few minutes later, the car pulled up in front of the Hitachiin’s mansion. Kyoya took a deep breath and steeled himself for the news he had to deliver and the subsequent fall-out. “You don’t need to wait. I plan to stay overnight...”

Before he finished speaking, Kyoya’s phone *dinged* three times in quick succession. The three messages were from Haruhi, Ryoji, and Fuyumi. Guessing that Haruhi’s would say she was already with the twins, he left that one unopened for now. He would see her in a few minutes anyway.

He opened Ryoji’s first.

*****Working late. Can’t get away to sign papers. Haruhi with twins.*****

Kyoya quickly replied to Ryoji.

*****Have Tachibana and Fuyumi so signatures covered. Will be heading to Hinansho for next week.*****

Next, he ready Fuyumi’s text.

*****Husband out of town. Nanny’s night off. Can’t leave children.*****

His phone *dinged* with another text as he was composing a reply to Fuyumi.

*****Tachibana will bring paperwork for signature. Needs filed as soon as courthouse opens.*****

After he sent that off, he opened the new text, another message from Ryoji.

*****Trust you will take good care of Haruhi and twins. Contact if anything needed.*****

Just as Kyoya texted ‘Thank you’ to Ryoji, two sets of headlights appeared on the road to the Hitachiin estate.

Leaning forward, Kyoya addressed Tachibana again. “Actually, there is one more thing. I will need your signature on some paperwork.”

Kyoya moved from the back seat to the passenger seat. Opening his briefcase, he handed Tachibana the three files for the Hitachiin children that he had retrieved from his safe earlier, along with a pen.

Tachibana recognized the adoption paperwork. “If I may ask, what happened?”

“Hikaru and Kaoru’s parents were in London for Fashion Week. There was a terrorist attack there today and the Hitachiins were both killed. There has not been time for official notification yet, but I received verification from my agent in London.” Kyoya sighed heavily.

“What about the daughter? Was she killed as well?”

“She wasn’t seen in footage of the location before the bombing. My agent discovered that she was taken back to the hotel. However, the hotel was damaged as well and everyone was evacuated to various shelters. I’m waiting for confirmation either way,”

Noting the tension in Kyoya’s face and shoulders, Tachibana silently looked through the files, allowing Kyoya time to slip his stoic mask back into place. “ _He really carries far too much for someone so young. I’m glad he has friends to support him,”_ Tachibana mused. 

He signed the paperwork where indicated, perused the documents a second time to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, and then tidied up the files. While he was doing that, the two cars whose headlights had been seen earlier, pulled up.

Tamaki bounded out of one of the cars before it even stopped moving. “What’s going on? What the meaning of this?” he demanded, rushing toward Kyoya’s car.

Mitsukuni and Takashi emerged from the other car after it came to a complete stop and followed Tamaki at a more sedate pace.

Tachibana cleared his throat to get Kyoya’s attention. “I have signed where needed. What are your instructions now?”

Kyoya shook himself out of his brooding. “Please take the files to Fuyumi for her signature. In the morning, file them as soon as the courthouse opens. We will probably be heading to Hinansho either tonight or after school tomorrow.” Kyoya had a sudden thought, “ _I don’t think we will be in any shape to make it to school tomorrow._ ” 

“Very good, sir,” Tachibana replied. “Please pass along my condolences to Hikaru and Kaoru. I will see you all at Hinansho”

Nodding in acknowledgement, Kyoya climbed out of the car to face Tamaki’s hysterics and the daunting task ahead. “ _At least Takashi is as steady as ever. Hopefully he can be our rock through this ordeal.”_ He patted the roof of the car and it pulled away, Tachibana off to complete his mission.

“Now, what is the emergency?” Tamaki demanded. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kyoya sighed. “I am quite aware of the fact that it is nearly midnight and we have school tomorrow. This is something I only want to have to say once, so let’s go inside with Haruhi and the twins.” He turned and walked to the front door, trusting the other three would follow.

Kyoya pressed the doorbell and they waited in tense silence for a response. “ _I hope someone is still up. I’d hate to wake the household for such dire news. Wait…the text from Haruhi…”_ He was about to pull out his phone when the door opened and he didn’t have time to finish his thought or actions.

The butler opened the door wide. “Miss Haruhi said you would be coming. Please follow me to the library where she and the young masters are waiting.”

Tamaki muttered impatiently under his breath as they were led down a series of hallways. Finally, the butler stopped and opened a door, gesturing for them to enter.

As the four young men stepped into the library, they saw Haruhi sitting on a sofa between Hikaru and Kaoru. Tamaki bolted across the room, practically shouting, “My precious daughter, these perverts haven’t been molesting you, have they?”

Haruhi rolled her eyes and gestured ‘stop’ to Tamaki. “We’ve talked about this, Tamaki, and I thought we got past this last summer. I am not your daughter and you will not accuse the twins of things without evidence. Now get over here and be quiet. It’s obvious that Kyoya has something very important to tell us.”

Tamaki looked repentant as he replied, “Sorry, Haruhi. I tend to forget sometimes when I’m tired.”

Nodding his thanks to her, Kyoya asked, “Mitsukuni, Takashi, and Tamaki, please stand behind the sofa so I can face all of you at once.” He gestured to where Haruhi and the twins sat.

Although Kyoya’s face appeared to be as impassive as ever, Haruhi noted the clenched jaw and tension in his shoulders. “ _Something is very wrong. What he has to say is extremely bad news, whatever it is. At least we’re all here to support each other._ ”

Kyoya positioned himself in front of the armchair facing the sofa and thought, _“I know I’m going to collapse as soon as I deliver this news, so it’s best to be prepared.”_

Taking several deep breaths, he finally spoke, “There is some news that I have to deliver, though I wish for all the world that is was not so.” Kyoya’s breath hitched. “There was a terrorist bombing in London today,” he began.

The twins immediately tensed at the mention of London. Haruhi reached a hand to the twins sitting on either side of her. “ _The only reason to mention London is the Hitachiins.”_ She brace herself for the blow she suspected was coming, knowing she had no way to shield her friends.

“…in the Knightsbridge District…”

Hikaru and Kaoru each clung to the hand that Haruhi had offered them.

“Although official notification has not been sent yet…”

Takashi placed a hand on Hikaru’s shoulder in anticipation of the comfort that his friend would need. “ _If this is going where I think it’s going, I am glad Kyoya wanted us all to be here for this. The twins will need all the support we can give them.”_

“…my agent in London confirmed that…”

Mitsukuni placed a hand on each of the twins’ shoulders and braced himself as if for a physical blow.

“…your parents are among the confirmed dead. I’m still awaiting word on your sister, Ageha.” Kyoya dropped into the chair, shoved his glasses up, and covered his face with his hands. He battled to contain his sobs.

The other hosts sat and stood in stunned silence, trying to process what Kyoya had just said.

Dropping Haruhi’s hand, Hikaru surged forward in a rage. It wasn’t until that moment that he noticed Takashi and Mitsukuni’s hands on his shoulders. If their hands had not been there, he was sure he would have leaped across the room and grabbed Kyoya. “ _I don’t know if I wanted to shake him or punch him,”_ Hikaru admitted to himself as he felt the reassuring weight of his friends’ touch.

Haruhi grabbed Hikaru’s hand again and wrapped her arm around Kaoru, who had paled in shock. She offered all the comfort she could to her friends who were like the brothers she never had.

Seeing that Hikaru and Kaoru were being attended to by Takashi, Mitsukuni, and Haruhi, Tamaki crossed the room and wrapped Kyoya in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, mon ami. I had no idea the burden that you were carrying, that this was the emergency. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

Uncharacteristically, Kyoya clung to Tamaki, allowing his control to slip further and sobs to wrack his body. Tamaki just held him, rubbing his back and murmuring soothing sounds.

On the sofa, Kaoru turned to Haruhi and buried his face in the crook of her neck as sobs tore from his throat.

Haruhi held her own tears in check as she placed a kiss on the top of Kaoru’s head and whispered, “Go ahead and cry. Let it all out. I’m here. We’re all here for you.”

Then she turned to Hikaru and pulled his head close to place a soft kiss on his temple. Haruhi squeezed his hand and asked softly, “What do you need, Hikaru? How can we help you?”

Hikaru stood up abruptly. “I need to move. I can’t just sit here,” he blurted as he bolted from the room. Haruhi looked after him worriedly.

Takashi was moving even before Haruhi said, “Takashi, please keep an eye on him. I don’t want him to hurt himself.” He was out the door on Hikaru’s heels before she even finished speaking.

Mitsukuni piped up quietly, “I’ll go to the kitchen and have them make tea. Maybe I can convince them to add a little brandy for medicinal purposes.” As he was about to exit, he turned to Haruhi and asked, “Should I have the butler inform the staff?”

“That would probably be best. Be sure to emphasize that official notifications have not been made but we have it from a reliable authority.”

“Will do. I’ll be back soon.”

Soft sobs and comforting murmurs were the only sounds in the library for the next few minutes.

Wiping haphazardly at the tears streaming unbidden down her face, Haruhi thought, “ _We need to get the adoption paperwork from Kyoya’s safe and get it signed and filed. We need to get Hikaru and Kaoru moved to Hinansho as soon as possible, before the government agencies are notified of the deaths. With their grandparents out of contact for the foreseeable future, the twins would be placed in an orphanage and the estate plundered for ‘upkeep’ until nothing is left_.”

Haruhi’s thoughts stumbled at that point. Flashbacks of the days following her own mother’s death loomed, but she pushed them away to focus on comforting Kaoru and worrying about where Hikaru was and what he was doing. “ _Hopefully Takashi was able to catch up with him. Even if Hikaru became physical or violent in his grief, Takashi should be able to handle him.”_

Deep breaths drew Haruhi’s attention to the chair across from the sofa. Kyoya was finally able to draw a deep breath after practically hyperventilating in his sobbing grief. “Tamaki, thank you,” Kyoya said softly, his throat raw. “You are a true friend. I’m feeling better now. Or at least as well as I can, given the circumstances.” With that, he pulled back from Tamaki’s fierce hug.

Tamaki loosened the hug, reached up, and removed Kyoya’s glasses. Fully releasing his grip and setting the glasses on the nearby table, he replied. “That’s what friends are for.” Patting Kyoya’s shoulder gently, he turned and walked over to check on Kaoru.

The library door opened quietly and Mitsukuni entered, followed by the butler with the tea trolley. While the butler was positioning the trolley between the sofa and the armchair, the library door opened again.

Takashi stepped in, carrying a subdued and softly sobbing Hikaru. There was a warm, compassionate expression on Takashi’s face as he gently placed Hikaru back on the sofa next to Haruhi. She wrapped an arm around him and pulled him in close so she could place a kiss on his temple. Kaoru reached across Haruhi and grabbed his brother’s hand.

The butler hummed quietly to draw everyone’s attention. “Master Mitsukuni informed me of the situation and I have informed the staff. Young masters, we all wish you our heartfelt condolences on your loss. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you need anything.”

Hikaru and Kaoru both raised their heads from Haruhi’s shoulders and nodded their ‘thanks.’

Haruhi spoke up quietly, “Please pack their things. We’ll be heading to the Hinan family estate soon. They should not be here when the government agency receives notification of their parents’ deaths and then figures out that their grandparents are currently out of communication. No sense allowing them to plunder the Hitachiin estate when the matter has already been resolved.”

The butler shuddered at the thought and responded, “We will start on that right away.” He bowed respectfully and left.

Mitsukuni started to hand out the tea. Haruhi asked, “Did they object to fortifying the tea?”

“As soon as I broke the news, they agreed that it was necessary.”

After Kyoya had taken a long drink of the tea, He took a deep breath…then another…and then another. Finally, he was able to pull himself together enough to speak. “Leaving for Hinansho as soon as possible is a good idea, Haruhi. Tachibana signed the necessary paperwork and he will take it to Fuyumi for the second signature. As soon as the courthouse opens, he will file them.”

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other and then turned to Kyoya. “Thank you. That’s a load of our minds,” Hikaru said for both of them.

Between the lateness of the hour and the stresses of the day, Haruhi could not suppress her yawn. Hikaru chuckled through his own yawn and muttered, “I resemble that remark.”

Rubbing his eyes with his fist, Kaoru said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but could we all sleep together tonight? Hikaru and I really don’t want to be alone tonight.”

Tamaki lit up. “A sleepover! We get to have a sleepover!”

Kyoya shook his head and murmured fondly, “I think all of us sleeping together tonight is an excellent idea. What better way to support each other through this.” He glanced at Haruhi, noting her expression of relief. _“I’ll bet she’s been re-living the death of her mother. She won’t be alone in her grief this time. We won’t let her.”_

Standing up, Haruhi pulled Hikaru and Kaoru up with her. Wrapping an arm around each of their waists, she said, “Lead on. I hear the bed calling but the echoes in this place are messing with my sense of direction.”

The twins chuckled in unison, hugged Haruhi between them and announced, “Follow us.”

Kyoya had to suppress a twinge of jealousy, watching Haruhi wrapped in the embrace of Hikaru and Kaoru.

Tamaki stepped up beside him and commented, “Okaa-san, our precious daughter is certainly doing a good job taking care of her brothers, isn’t she?”

Shaking his head and fighting a small smile, Kyoya responded, “Didn’t she just remind you not to call her your daughter? And stop calling me okaa-san.”

“Yes, she did,” Tamaki replied with a grin. “But I did get you to smile, mon ami.”

Mitsukuni and Takashi made up the silent rear-guard, watching to be sure no one needed their assistance after receiving such emotionally draining news.

When they reached Hikaru and Kaoru’s bedroom, they found pajamas laid out for each of them on the foot of the bed. A maid quietly stepped out of a corner and said, “We anticipated that you did not take time to pack before coming, so we gathered articles for you from among the twins’ designs for the Host Club. We expected that you would all want to remain together to support one another, so we brought everything here.” She gestured to the wardrobe standing beside her as she opened the door and showed them the shelves laden with clothing and marked with their names.

After the maid left, Hikaru handed Haruhi a pair of pajamas and said, “You should get changed first. Then the rest of us can take turns.”

Disappearing into the bathroom, she called, “I’ll only be a minute.”

Kaoru knocked on the bathroom door. “There are new toothbrushes in the top left drawer.”

“Thanks,” was her muffled reply.

The young men stood aimlessly around the bedroom, each lost in his own thoughts.

When Haruhi exited the bathroom, she walked directly to the window and stared outside. “ _Mother, please help me help my friends through this_.”

Soberly, Hikaru grabbed Kaoru’s hand and said, “Let’s go get changed.” They scooped up their pajamas from the bed and headed to the bathroom.

Kyoya’s eyes were drawn to Haruhi and he noticed that her shoulders were starting to hunch and her hands were balled into tight fists. “ _There may be no storm outside, but there is definitely one inside_.”

Quietly walking up behind her, he was surprised when she suddenly spun around, grabbed his around the waist, and buried her face in his chest. Startled, Kyoya wrapped his arms securely around her and rested his chin on her head.

Although her voice was muffled by his shirt, he could hear her murmuring, “I can’t handle this. I already lost Mom. What would I do if I lost Dad? Now Hikaru and Kaoru have lost both all at once. And what about Ageha? She’s even younger than I was when I lost Mom.”

Knowing she needed to process her thoughts, Kyoya simply let her talk while he gently rubbed her back and stroked her hair. He said nothing because he knew she just needed to work her way through her own thoughts.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, the twins were changing into their pajamas. After brushing their teeth and washing their faces, they stood staring into the mirror at each other’s reflections.

Kaoru took a deep breath. “Hikaru, is this real or is it a nightmare? Are Mom and Dad really…gone?”

Sighing, Hikaru replied, “I keep hoping it’s a nightmare. That I’ll wake up and go downstairs to find Mom having breakfast with half the table covered in design sketches and fabric swatches.”

Turning from the mirror, they looked into each other’s eyes. Kaoru whispered, “What are we going to do?”

Hikaru pulled his into a fierce hug and assured him, “Whatever we do, we won’t be alone. We have each other…and our family waiting for us out there.”

“I think I need Haruhi,” Kaoru admitted.

“Yeah, me too.” Hikaru confirmed. “Let’s go.”

When they opened the bathroom door, they found Tamaki waiting with his pajamas in his hands. “I’m next.”

The twins hesitated when they saw Haruhi standing near the window wrapped in Kyoya’s arms. Before they could say anything, Haruhi looked up at Kyoya and said, “Thank you for being the anchor through my emotional storm and listening to me. This situation brought back so many memories of my mom and I just needed a safe space to face them.”

“I’m glad you feel safe with me,” Kyoya whispered as he wiped the tears from her eyes. “Do you need anything else?”

Haruhi smiled up at him. “No. Now I am ready be there for Hikaru and Kaoru.” Standing on tiptoes, she kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

Turning around, she saw Hikaru and Kaoru watching her—them. She walked over and drew them into a hug. “What do you two need right now?” she asked quietly.

“You and hugs,” Kaoru answered simply, clinging to her and Hikaru.

After a few minutes, Hikaru asked tentatively, “What was that with you and Kyoya?” When Haruhi didn’t answer right away, he murmured, “Never mind.”

Haruhi took a deep breath. “Hey, it’s okay. He was acting as an anchor for me. All of this brought on a storm of memories from when my mom died. I was feeling overwhelmed and he held me steady while I regained my footing so I could be here for your guys.”

The trio clung to each other for a few minutes while the others changed and made preparations to go to bed.

“Okay,” Haruhi said around a yawn. “I can barely keep my eyes open. Where are the pillows so I can get the bed arranged for all of us?”

Hikaru led her to the closet and opened a cupboard that had a variety of pillows. “If you want blankets, they are in the cupboard to the right.”

Haruhi loaded Kaoru and Hikaru’s arms with pillows before grabbing an armload of blankets herself. They dumped their loads on the bed and then stood back to allow Haruhi to arrange it all.

First, she stood two pillows up against the headboard and covered them with a blanket to hold them in place. “Kyoya, you sit here,” she directed. In his semi-reclined positon, she laid a blanket folded in quarters on his chest covering him nearly to his knees. Then she sat down between his legs and laid back against his chest.

Kyoya placed his phone and glasses on the headboard, within easy reach. _“Does she actually expect me to sleep like this?”_ Kyoya wondered with a slight blush. “ _Having her pressed against my chest like this will be much too stimulating for me to relax into sleep. Oh well, I can’t say that I mind._ ” He wrapped his arms around her waist to anchor her in place.

Next, she placed a pillow on her right thigh. “Hikaru, lay your head here.” As he moved to comply, he kissed her on the cheek and then settle his head on the pillow and pulled a blanket up to his hips.

Placing a pillow on her left thigh, she patted it and said, “Kaoru, you’re here.” He copied his brother by placing a kiss on Haruhi’s cheek before settling down.

Hikaru reach across Haruhi’s knees and grasped Kaoru’s hand tightly. Both were fighting to keep their eyes open.

Running her fingers through their hair, she whispered soothingly, “Go ahead and sleep. We’ll all be here for you.” Slowly they closed their eyes and slipped gently into sleep.

“Kyoya, would you turn your phone on for light while the rest get settled?” Haruhi asked softly. He released one arm from around her waist and did as she asked,

“Okay, Mitsukuni,” Haruhi said, placing a pillow between her ankles. “You’re here. Would you turn the lights off first?”

He did as requested and then, before settling in, he slipped around Kaoru and kissed Haruhi tenderly on the cheek. She ruffle his hair and pointed toward the pillow, indicating that is was time to get comfortable. Once Mitsukuni had settled onto the pillow, Takashi tucked a fluffy pink blanket around him.

“Thank you, Takashi,” Haruhi said, smiling. “Your place is here next to Hikaru.” She place the pillow close enough that she could reach Takashi’s hair to run her fingers through it, but in a position that would not crowd Hikaru.

Following the others’ examples, he kissed her cheek before making himself comfortable. As he settled in, she ran her fingers through his hair gently.

Tamaki, realizing how Haruhi was arranging everyone, started building a nest of pillows and blankets for himself near Kaoru. When she reached to ruffle his hair, he caught her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “I don’t know how we’d survive without you,” he murmured as he drifted off to sleep, still holding her hand.

Kyoya leaned down and whispered in her ear, “And I hope we never have to find out.” He kissed her on top of the head and then reached up to turn off the light on his phone.

Since Tamaki was still holding her left hand, Haruhi intertwined the fingers of her right hand with Kyoya’s left. “Good night,” she murmured as she leaned back and drifted off to sleep.

Kyoya settled back and realized that having Haruhi resting on his chest was actually very comforting and he drifted off to sleep as well.

<OHSHC>

Kyoya was dragged back to consciousness by an incessant buzzing near his left ear. He didn’t want to open his eyes but he couldn’t remember why he had a warm, comfortable weight wrapped in his arms. Reluctantly opening his eyes, he looked down to find Haruhi snuggle into his chest. “ _What happened? Why is she in my bed?_ ”

His phone buzzed again tearing his attention from the sleeping young woman in his arms. Removing his right arm from around her waist, he reached up and grabbed the phone. Glaring at the offending object, he noticed the name on the caller ID was his agent in London. Suddenly the events of last night came flooding back. He pushed them aside and answered the phone.

“Report,” Kyoya ordered quietly, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

“Sorry to wake you, sir, but I knew you would want this news right away. I located the girl and her nanny. They were taken to a hospital on the far side of London,” the agent reported succinctly.

“What condition were they in?” Kyoya asked

“The girl is fine, but the nanny has a broken leg. I made arrangements for the medical bills to be paid. They will be moved to the Japanese Embassy as soon as the nanny is released,” the agent replied.

Kyoya pondered for a moment. “Why not the townhouse?”

The agent took a deep breath. “A judgement call on my part, sir. All of their travel documents were in the room safe at the hotel. The explosion from the ruptured gas line ultimately leveled the hotel. It will be a day or two before the debris is cool enough to sift through. Then could take weeks to sort out the room safes and establish which one belonged to which room. There is also the possibility that the heat was too great and the documents combusted.”

“Sound judgement on your part. I will leave them in your capable hands. Get them anything that they need. I will start work on this end for replacement travel documents,” Kyoya responded approvingly.

The agent breathed a silent sigh of relief and thought, “ _I did the right thing and I get to keep my job.“_ To Kyoya, he said, “I will include all of this in my report. I will contact you if anything changes.”

“Thank you. Oh, by the way, if anyone asks about the assistance being rendered my people there, please attribute it to the Hinan family, not the Otoris,” Kyoya directed.

“Yes, sir. Will there be anything else?” the agent asked anxiously.

“That will be all. Thank you for your hard work on this. I look forward to reading your report. Please pass along my thanks to the rest of the personnel there helping with the efforts,” Kyoya stated, fighting a yawn.

The agent responded, “Thank you, sir. I’ll pass that along,” and ended the call.

Before he could put his phone back on the headboard, there was the *ding* of an incoming text. Seeing that it was from Tachibana, he opened it immediately.

*****Can’t file paperwork until court receives official notice. Judge Ryuzaki contacting London. Will issue documents on confirmation. I will wait.*****

_“Hm, I didn’t anticipate that wrinkle,”_ Kyoya mused. _“At least Haruhi’s contacts at the court house are working with us on this._ ” He composed a text to Tachibana that included an update on Ageha.

*****Thank you for the update. News from London agent. Sister located and safe.*****

After sending the text, Kyoya noticed that is was after ten o’clock already. “ _I should probably call the school to explain our absences and make…_ ”

Before he could finish his thought, there was a quiet knock at the door then it opened and the butler stepped inside. Seeing Kyoya awake, he walked over to the bed. Quietly, he reported, “Good morning. I just came to inform you that I called Ouran this morning to explain the situation. I also contacted the main office at the University and had the message passed along to the appropriate professors.”

Kyoya was relieved those chores had already been dealt with by the butler. “Thank you. I am only awake because I received a call from my London agent. Ageha was located and she is safe and well.”

The butler’s face lit up in relief. “Oh, thank you for that good news. I shall pass it along to the rest of the staff.”

Hiding a yawn behind the hand holding his phone, Kyoya murmured, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get a little more sleep. It was a rough night and we have a busy day ahead later.”

“Of course. The young masters can inform the kitchen when you all are awake and ready to eat,” the butler replied before he turned and left the room.

Realizing that he was still holding his phone, he placed it back on the headboard. Wrapping his arms around Haruhi again, he drifted off to sleep.

<OHSHC>

It was two o’clock in the afternoon when the Host Club woke up to the sound of Haruhi’s stomach growling. When they all looked at her, she just giggled and said, “What can you expect? I haven’t eaten since dinner last night, unless you count the tea we had a midnight.”

Hikaru sat up and shifted around Takashi. “Just let me call the kitchen and they can bring up something. Any requests?”

“Cake,” Mitsukuni announced, bouncing on the bed.

“How about pancakes?” Haruhi interjected. “They can include a variety of toppings so everybody has something they like.”

“Good idea,” Hikaru responded as he picked up the phone to call the kitchen. After he finished, he climbed back into bed.

Haruhi grabbed his hand. “How are you doing this morning?”

He shook his head. “It just seems so surreal. I haven’t been able to wrap my head around the fact that our parents were killed just like that.”

Kaoru added, “And then there’s the whole thing with not knowing about Ageha.”

“Actually,” Kyoya interrupted, “I received a call from my London agent at ten this morning. He found them. The nanny has a broken leg, but other than that they are both fine.”

At that news, the brothers grabbed each other and wrestled around on the bed, laughing and crying by turns. The others climbed off the bed to give them more room. Haruhi’s foot got tangled up in the blankets so Takashi plucked her out of the bed just before the twins were about to run into her.

“Thanks for the save, Takashi,” she said as she smiled and caressed his cheek.

Kyoya turned around just in time to see the tender gesture. He had to clamp down hard on a flare of jealousy. “ _She’s not mine. I need to keep reminding myself of that. Even though it felt so right this morning to wake up with her in my arms.”_ He shook his head to dispel the inappropriate thoughts that memory conjured up.

Everyone’s attention was drawn by a knock at the door. The butler opened it to allow several servants to enter carrying large trays of food and beverages. Several more servants followed with folding stands to hold the trays. “Please enjoy your meal,” the butler intoned as he closed the door.

The Host Club settle in to enjoy the delicious breakfast. While they were eating, there was a *ding* from Kyoya’s phone. When he retrieved it from the headboard, he saw the message from Tachibana.

*****Official notice received. Paperwork filed for all three. Suspicious activity. CALL ME.*****

Noting the urgency of the message, Kyoya immediately initiated the call. “I have you on speaker. What do you have to report?” Kyoya asked as soon as Tachibana answered.

“I was sitting on the bench in the hallway near Judge Ryuzaki’s office. The clerk on duty this morning when I tried to file the papers appeared to be eavesdropping at the judge’s door,” Tachibana reported with a note of irritation in his voice.

“What’s wrong?” Haruhi asked. “Did we catch you at a bad time?”

Tachibana sighed. “ _Leave it to her to notice the annoyance in my voice.”_ He responded, “No, it’s not that. When he left the judge’s door, he went just around the corner from where I was sitting. He called someone—I couldn’t make out the name—and reported that the Hitachiins were confirmed dead and they could get their revenge now.”

“What did he mean by that?” Hikaru demanded.

Before Tachibana could answer, Kyoya asked, “Didn’t he see you sitting there?”

Laughing mirthlessly, Tachibana said, “Oh yeah, he saw me sitting there. But he must have been elite family at one time. The way he looked at me when I tried to file the paperwork and when he saw me sitting on the bench said, ‘Just a lackey doing his master’s bidding. No one of any consequence.’ I wasn’t important enough for him to notice, much less acknowledge.”

Haruhi interrupted, “You are no lackey. Thank you for all your hard work on this. Were there any problems filing the paperwork after that?”

“No problems. The judge actually had his clerk file the papers while I reported the filing clerk eavesdropping outside his door and the subsequent telephone conversation. Judge Ryuzaki issued a court order that nothing can be removed from the Hitachiin estate except by his order, unless it is by Kazuha Hitachiin.”

“Hey, Tachibana,” Kaoru asked tentatively, “could you get some more information on that clerk. Maybe find out who he was talking to as well?”

“That was my plan,” Tachibana assured him. “The urgency of my message was to warn you to get the twins to Hinansho as soon as possible. I don’t trust that clerk—or whomever he was talking to. I’ll see you all tonight at dinner and I’ll give you my report then.”

“Good work. We’ll be heading to Hinansho within the hour,” Kyoya stated before he ended the call.

Kaoru stood up and said, “We should let Haruhi shower and dress here while the rest of us go to other rooms to do the same. That will get us out of here faster. I don’t like the fact someone has it out for us.”

“I agree,” Hikaru added. “I feel like a sitting duck here. I want to get to Hinansho as soon as possible.”

The six young men grabbed clothing from the wardrobe the maid had pointed out and headed out to find rooms to shower and change. Haruhi grabbed an outfit and headed to the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, all seven of them were waiting by the front door. Hikaru asked the butler, “Where’s our stuff? I thought you guys packed it last night?”

Smiling, the butler replied, “It’s already at Hinansho. Atsuhiro and a security detail arrived this morning with a truck and took it all away. It should be waiting for you when you arrive.”

Hikaru sighed in relief. “That’s a load off my mind. Thanks for taking care of that.”

Kaoru stepped up to the butler and said, “Thanks for holding down the fort here until our grandparents return.”

“Our pleasure,” the butler replied. “I have already sent messages to the various drop boxes that they maintain for receiving important news. I will inform you immediately if I hear from them.”

Kyoya interrupted. “We should get going. Who knows when the file clerk’s cohort will show up? We will do whatever it takes to protect you two.”

“Thanks guys,” Hikaru and Kaoru chorused.

Mitsukuni said, “It’s kind of like Vizzini said in Princess Bride. If they try to hurt our friends, they’ll commit one of the classic blunders. The most well know is ‘Never get involved in a land war in Asia,’ followed by ‘Don’t go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line,’ and now we can add ‘Never cross the Hinan when family is at stake.’ We take care of our own.”

“Hear, hear,” Tamaki yelled, pumping his fist in the air.

<OHSHC>

Rina Tsukuda had a predatory grin on her face when she hung up the phone after the call from her informant at the courthouse. “ _Masaki Danno is finally proving to be useful. So, Yuzuha and Akihiro Hitachiin are dead. It could take up to a year to locate Kazuha. Since there are three kids, that’s more than enough time to plunder the estate.”_

She rubbed her hands together greedily. “ _Within three months, I should be able to sell the Hitachiin fashion line to my holding company for a mere pittance. I can’t wait to get back at the Hitachiins for what they did to my family.”_

<OHSHC>

Rina Tsukuda walked confidently up to the door of the Hitachiin mansion, her large, empty briefcase held carelessly in her left hand. “ _I can’t wait to get my hands on the stuff in this place,_ ” she thought to herself as she waited for the butler to answer the door.

The butler opened the door and intoned, “How may I help you?”

“You can let me in,” she ordered condescendingly. “My name is Rina Tsukuda and I am here from the Government Orphanage to inventory the estate and take custody of Hikaru, Kaoru, and Ageha Hitachiin following the death of their parents.”

“The young masters are at Hinansho, their new home,” replied the butler with a straight face.

“I don’t know what you think you’re trying to get away with,” she growled, “but it’s not going to work.”

“Why would I want to get away with anything?” the butler deadpanned. “I am quite happy in the employ of the Hitachiin family.”

“They’re dead,” Rina snarled.

“Yuzuha and Akihiro may be, but Lady Kazuha is very much alive,” he answered disdainfully.

“You will let me in to inventory the house…” she ordered.

“Since you are not Lady Kazuha, if you do not have a signed court order from Judge Ryuzaki, I will do no such thing,” the butler stated, gesturing to the court order posted beside the door.

Rina was at the end of her patience. “ _This is not going according to plan_ ,” she mused disgustedly. “You will not ignore my authority in this matter. I will find those brats and this house will be mine,” she snarled.

The butler looked at her with contempt. “As one of the Hinan family said as they were leaving. You are about to commit one of the classic blunders: Never cross the Hinan when family is at stake. I suggest you heed that warning.” Then he closed the door in her face.

“You haven’t heard the last of me,” she shrieked ineffectually.

“ _Good riddance to bad rubbish_ ,” the butler thought as he walked away, brushing his hands together. Then he stopped and contemplated what she had said just before he closed the door in her face. “ _That was a threat. I need to call Hinansho to alert them._ ”

As he waited for someone to answer at Hinansho, he considered, “ _That threat sounds eerily like what happened to Miss Tsuchiya a few years ago._ ”


	7. No Time to Breathe

Rina sat in her car, seething at the unexpected obstacles. “ _What is Hinansho? I was so annoyed I didn’t think to ask the butler where it is. Who are the Hinan? Why would they consider the Hitachiin brats family? How did they even get involved in this?_ ”

Pulling out her phone, she called Masaki Danno at the courthouse. “ _He’d better have some answers for me._ ”

Masaki answered the phone with a bored tone, “Good afternoon, Courthouse, how may I direct your call?”

Without acknowledging his greeting, she lashed out, “If confirmation just reached the judge before you called me then explain why the Hitachiin brats were not at their estate and there is already a protection order on it.”

“What are you talking about?” Masaki questioned, quailing at her tone. “I was standing outside Judge Ryuzaki’s office when he called Scotland Yard to confirm the deaths of Yuzuha and Akihiro Hitachiin.”

“What do you mean ‘confirm’?” she demanded. “That implies someone already knew and told him.”

“I don’t know,” Masaki whined. “Wait. There was someone this morning who tried to file adoption papers for the Hitachiin kids. Just some lackey. No one of any importance.”

“You idiot!” Rina screamed. “Find out who that lackey works for. While you’re at it, find out where Hinansho is.”

“What’s Hinansho?” Masaki asked wearily.

“I don’t know. That’s why I want you to find out. The Hitachiin butler said that was where the Hitachiin brats were. Called it ‘their new home’ or some such,” Rina growled.

Masaki responded sullenly, “Okay. I’ll see what I can find out.”

“See that you do,” Rina threatened.

“Yes, your majesty,” Masaki sneered after he hung up the phone.

<OHSHC>

Shima’s mouth was set in a thin line when she hung up the phone. “ _I need to let the family know about this but their grieving is still fresh right now.”_

Hibiki walked up to Shima and asked tentatively, “Excuse me, but do you know what’s going on? Why are the Host Club members here instead of at school?”

Smiling sadly, Shima replied, “I’m sorry. I haven’t had time to inform everyone yet. Hikaru and Kaoru’s parents were killed yesterday.”

“Oh no, how awful,” Hibiki cried.

Shima continued, “Tachibana, as head of security, would usually be providing this information to everyone, but he’s been at the courthouse filing the adoption paperwork to make the Hitachiin children members of the Hinan family.”

“If I may ask, what was the phone call?” Hibiki inquired timidly.

Shaking her head as if to clear an unwanted thought, Shima replied, “It was the butler at the Hitachiin estate. He called to inform the Hinan family that a government representative named Rina Tsukuda showed up demanding custody of the twins and the estate.”

“Can the government do that?” Hibiki asked.

Shima snorted. “That type of thing has happened before to elite families. More than once, in fact. That’s what is taking Tachibana so long at the courthouse. In addition to approving the adoption papers for the children, he convinced the judge put an order in place that only the twins’ grandmother or the judge can allow access to the estate assets.”

Hibiki sighed in relief. “So, if the boys are safe, what has you worried?”

“There are some things that the butler told me about the government representative that showed up over there. She made a threat that put me in mind of Kami Tsuchiya who was orphaned a few years ago,” Shima said, thoughtfully.

Hibiki had a questioning look on her face. “What are you thinking?”

“I think I need to meet my friend, Kyoko Enami, for tea. She used to be the head housekeeper for the Tsuchiya family,” Shima mused.

<OHSHC>

Masaki drummed his fingers nervously as he waited for Rina to answer the phone.

“You’d better have some good information for me,” Rina threatened immediately.

“I found out that Hinansho is the home estate of the Hinan family,” Masaki huffed.

“So where is it?” she demanded.

He sighed wearily. “Remember the resort that didn’t open last year because of the fraud and embezzlement scandal? That’s the place.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” she shouted. “Wait. They also bought the property to the west that Cormorant Construction was developing, didn’t they?”

“Yes…” he answered tentatively.

“I lost money on both of those investments,” she snarled. “They are not going to snatch the Hitachiin money out of my hands, too!” She muttered oaths under her breath, wishing misfortune upon her enemies.

Clearing his throat to get her attention, Masaki said, “I found out whose lackey filed the adoption papers for the Hitachiin kids. He is a registered agent for the Hinan family.”

“That figures. But what is the connection between the Hitachiins and the Hinan family? Until now, I’d never heard of the Hinans,” Rina mused.

“Well, there were affidavits signed by the Hitachiin parents and grandmother that were filed with the adoption papers,” Masaki offered.

Growling in irritation, she demanded, “Before this, had you ever heard of the Hinan family? We both used to be in the elite circles but I don’t remember any family by that name. Not even some distant cousins.”

“This is the first I’d ever heard of them,” Masaki admitted.

Rina cackled evilly, “Then I think I should give them some publicity so everyone can get to know them. I’m sure Komitsuzawa would help me with that. You keep digging. I want plenty of dirt on the Hinan family.” She hung up without waiting for a response.

Masaki rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

<OHSHC>

Tachibana leaned on the front desk in the Hinansho lobby. Hibiki looked up at him and asked, “Hard day?”

Chuckling mirthlessly, he replied, “Yeah. Up too late getting signatures. Up too early to be at the courthouse when it opened. Then all day to be sure everything was taken care of so the kids can be safe.”

Shima walked up and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure they appreciate it. I know I do.”

“After I check on them, I’m headed to dinner with my family,” Tachibana said.

“I’ll head up with you. Kairi asked me to check and see if they want dinner brought up,” Shima replied. “I think they said they were going to be in Haruhi’s apartment.”

A few minutes later, Shima knocked on Haruhi’s door. Hearing no response, she opened the door just enough to look inside. She smiled, opened the door more, and stepped aside so Tachibana could see the scene for himself.

The Host Club had created a nest of blankets and pillows on the floor in front of the sofa. Hikaru and Kaoru were clinging to Haruhi. The trio was at the center of a circle of the other Host Club members.

Seeing the relaxed, content smile on Kyoya’s face, Tachibana couldn’t help but smile. “Though this is a terrible thing that has happened to the Hitachiins, at least the Host club is here for them and each other.”

“I’ll tell Kairi that dinner can wait for them,” Shima said. “They need this more than food right now.”

“Well, I need food,” Tachibana stated. “I just grabbed a quick sandwich and coffee at the courthouse. With that suspicious character hanging around the judge’s chambers, I didn’t dare leave until I was absolutely sure everything was in place.”

Shima patted his shoulder and replied, “You go eat and relax. You’ve earned it.”

Just then, there was a *ding* from Tachibana’s phone. Checking the text message, he sighed. “I guess dinner will have to wait. Yoshio wants me to answer for Kyoya’s ‘emergency absence’ right now.”

Shima huffed. “That man has no regard for others. You go tell your wife and daughter where you are going. I will have Kairi put something together for you. Stop in the kitchen and pick it up on your way out.”

Fifteen minutes later, Tachibana poked his head in the kitchen door and said, “Shima said you would have some dinner for me?”

Kairi walked over and handed him a bento box. “You can eat these onigiri while you drive. They should tide you over until you can get back and have a real dinner.”

“Thanks.” Tachibana withdrew and headed for the garage.

Twenty minutes later, he was standing in front of Yoshio’s massive desk waiting to be acknowledged.

Yoshio finally looked up and demanded, “Care to explain this text message you sent last night?”

Staring straight ahead, Tachibana recited, “I received a phone call from Master Kyoya last night. He had been checking the London markets before shutting down his investment research for the night. There were no market reports because all the news out of London was about a terrorist bombing in the fashion district. Knowing from his school friends that their parents were in London for fashion week, he called his London agent, who confirmed that the Hitachiins were among the casualties.”

“How does any of that explain his leaving the estate last night? Did he head to London?” Yoshio interrupted.

“No, sir. He contacted the other Host Club members and they all met at the Hitachiin estate to support the twins,” Tachibana continued.

“Is that where he is right now?” Yoshio demanded.

Tachibana shook his head, “No, he is at the Hinan estate. With the Hitachiin grandparents regularly out of contact, Yuzuha and Akihiro asked the Hinans to step in if anything happened.”

Yoshio’s mouth was a tight line. “If the Hitachiin twins are with the Hinan family, then why is Kyoya not back here? I consider this a breach of my trust in you.”

“His friends still need him, sir,” Tachibana stated.

“I am seriously contemplating terminating your employment contract with the Otori family,” Yoshio threatened.

Tachibana replied off-handedly, “That is your prerogative, sir.”

Resigned, Yoshio vented, “It would be too much work to hire and train a new bodyguard for three month, since that is when Kyoya will take charge of supplying his own security personnel. You may go.”

<OHSHC>

Rina sauntered into the office of the newspaper’s owner and editor. “Good evening, Komitsuzawa-san. Have I got a juicy story for you,” she purred leaning against the doorframe and crossing her arms over her chest.

Yosuke pulled out a pen and notepad, leaned forward, and replied, “Oh, do tell.”

“You probably haven’t heard yet,” she teased, “but Yuzuha and Akihiro Hitachiin were killed in London yesterday.”

Throwing down his pen, Yosuke muttered in disgust, “That’s not the type of story I do here. I’m not about to sing the praises of those two or lament their loss. As if.”

“Oh, that’s not the story I have for you,” Rina assured him. “It’s sooo much juicier than that.”

He picked up his pen and asked skeptically, “So what’s this ‘juicy’ story you have for me?”

“The story is about the kids,” she started again.

Waving his pen dismissively, Yosuke interrupted, “How interesting can a story about a couple kids be?”

“If you would stop interrupting and just listen, I’d explain it to you,” Rina hissed impatiently.

“Very well,” he replied. “Lay it on me.”

Sauntering over to his desk, she cocked a hip and took a seat on the corner. “I am the government representative for the orphanages that’s assigned to deal with orphaned children of the elite families. I understand them like no other representative because I used to be one.”

Yosuke snorted. “Funny how you would still be one if it weren’t for the Hitachiins.”

Rina cast him a withering glance.

He simply shrugged and gestured for her to continue.

“Anyway, after I heard about the tragic deaths of the Hitachiins, I went to their mansion to take custody of the children and inventory the estate. When I arrived, the butler informed me that the children were not there. They had been taken by the Hinan family.”

“Who’s the Hinan family?” Yosuke asked.

Rina glared. “I’m getting to that. I called my contact at the courthouse and found out the Hinan family had a lackey there first thing this morning to file adoption papers. The news hadn’t even broken yet about the deaths. How did the Hinans know? How did they get the paperwork prepared so quickly? I speculate that they were responsible for the deaths so they could kidnap the children and take control of the Hitachiin estate. It is rather substantial.”

Now Yosuke’s interest was piqued. “Maybe these Hinan are a minor yakuza family trying to make a name for themselves. This could be a sensational story after all.”

Rina smirked as she watched the expression of Yosuke’s face. She could tell he was contemplating the potential readership from different approaches to this story.

Finally, he said, “How does this sound for a headline? ‘Hitachiin Heirs Kidnapped by Hinan Family.’ The body of the story would hint at possible yakuza ties as well as having a hand in the deaths of the parents. Maybe add some speculation about a deal to sell the children as sex slaves, given the twins’ involvement in the Ouran High School Host Club.”

“Ooo, I like that angle,” Rina praised.

Yosuke picked up his pen and started writing. “ _Maybe I should contact some of the reputable media with the bare bones story of the kidnapping and say my unnamed source is a government official. This would bring readers to my paper for all the lurid details_ ,” he thought smugly. Glancing at his watch, he said, “If you’ll excuse me, I only have a little over an hour to get the story written so it can be tomorrow’s headline.”

Rina smiled smugly. “Perfect. I’ll leave you to it then.”

She left the newspaper office and returned to her car. “ _Hmm, I could go home, but I think I’d rather head to the office. I need to file paperwork on the Hitachiin case.”_

Pulling out into traffic, she concentrated on her driving for a few minutes. Then it occurred to her, “ _Masaki said there were affidavits with the adoption papers. They were probably forgeries because the Hinan family is trying to defraud the government out of its rightful share of the Hitachiin estate_.”

Arriving at her office, she parked her car and hurried to her desk. Half an hour later, Rina finished filling out the paperwork on the Hitachiin case. She placed it in an envelope, stamped it URGENT, and placed it in her supervisor’s in-box. “He should see that first thing in the morning. Then he can get the ball rolling and I can get my hands on the Hitachiin estate.”

Smirking, she turned off the lights and headed to her favorite bar to reward herself with a drink for all her hard work.

<OHSHC>

The Host Club joined Shima, Atsuhiro, and Kairi in the small dining room for breakfast. Hikaru pushed is omelet around his plate, making no attempt to eat it. Seeing his distress, Haruhi got up and went to stand behind him. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind, she whispered, “What can I do to help?”

Putting down his utensil, he grabbed her arms with both hands as if they were a lifeline and he would be lost without them. “I don’t know if I can handle this. It’s so hard to believe that Mom and Dad are gone.”

Kaoru scooted his chair closer and wrapped his arms around his brother and Haruhi. “I know what you mean. The future used to seem so clear and now it’s foggy and uncertain.”

Haruhi kissed Hikaru on top of the head and then Kaoru. “Don’t worry. Just remember that we’re here for you both through all of this.”

The rest of the Host Club gathered around them and Tamaki said, “Just tell us what you need and we’ll help.”

Hikaru looked down as if considering something. “Hey, Tono,” he asked tentatively, “could we cancel the Valentine cosplay? I just don’t think I’m up for it.”

“I guess I forgot all about that,” Tamaki admitted. “I’ve been so worried about you two I hadn’t given it a thought.”

Timidly, Mitsukuni asked, “Since we’re on the subject, could we change the plans for my birthday at the end of the month?”

“What do you have in mind?” Tamaki replied softly.

“Well, instead of celebrating at Ouran with our guests, could you guys just come to our apartment and spend the weekend?” he suggested quietly, looking down.

Tamaki looked around the circle. “What do you all think? Should we cancel the Valentine cosplay and Mitsukuni’s birthday party at Ouran with the princesses?”

Everyone nodded. Takashi admitted, “After what we’ve been through in the past forty-eight hours, I am just not in the mood to entertain the ladies at Ouran. I think our focus has to be here, supporting each other.”

Tamaki responded, “I agree whole-heartedly. Kyoya, would you send the message to our regular clients that the Host Club will be closed until further notice?”

“I will do that after we finish breakfast. Then I will get the forms ready for Fuyumi to apply for new travel documents for Ageha and her nanny,” Kyoya affirmed.

“Hey, Kyoya?” Kaoru spoke up timidly.

“Yes,” he responded.

“Could we talk to Ageha? Is that something your London agent could set up?” Kaoru proposed hopefully.

Kyoya face-palmed. “I’m so sorry. I should have thought of that.” Glancing at his watch, he continued, “It’s around midnight there right now. With the eight hour time difference, tonight at six would probably be the best time. I’ll send my agent a message that he will see when he starts his day so it will be all set.”

Kaoru half-smiled. “Thanks. I know I really need to hear her voice to be sure she’s okay.”

Hikaru added, “Me too.”

<OHSHC>

Just after lunch, the Host Club was gathered in Haruhi’s apartment just holding each other and offering comfort. There was a knock on the door and Tamaki got up to answer it.

Shima stood there, uncharacteristically grim. “I hate to bother you all, but there is a government representative here. She’s demanding to see the twins and she has police officers with her.”

Haruhi’s expression was hardened in anger. “I wonder why she’s here and, more importantly, why would she bring the police?”

Sighing, Shima said, “Before we go down, I need to tell you about a call I received yesterday evening from the Hitachiin’s butler. You were all sleeping and I didn’t want to disturb you. I figured I’d have time to pass along the information after you all had a chance to get your feet back under you from such distressing news.”

Tamaki walked over and patted her shoulder. “Thank you for your consideration. I take it that call pertains to the rude person downstairs?”

“Yes, it does. The butler told me that this government representative, Rina Tsukuda, showed up at the mansion demanding custody of the twins and the estate. He showed her the court order protecting the estate and told her the twins were at Hinansho, their new home,” Shima explained.

Looking confused, Tamaki asked, “If she knows about the adoption and the court order, what’s she doing here?”

Shima answered, “The butler also relayed to me a threat that…person…made. It reminded me of what happened to Miss Tsuchiya a few years ago.”

The Host Club stiffened at the name of the girl they had discussed the previous summer. Her story was the very reason that there was completed paperwork for all of them, needing only final signatures and dates before filing.

Noticing their looks, Shima said, “I suspect it’s the same representative that took charge of Miss Tsuchiya and her estate. I am having tea soon with my friend who used to be the head housekeeper for the Tsuchiya family. I hope to find out for sure and get more details.”

Kyoya stepped forward. “For now, I suggest we go down together to find out what’s going on. Shima, would have you Tachibana and a security detail meet us in the lobby?”

“Of course,” she replied and left the apartment.

Turning to the others, he said, “Mitsukuni and Takashi, I want you to flank Hikaru and Kaoru. No one is to approach them without their permission.”

The pair nodded solemnly and took their places. The twins looked relieved to have the protection.

“Haruhi, I would like to be in front of them, between Tamaki and me. As Hinan legal advisor, you should do the talking,” Kyoya continued.

“I can do that,” she replied determinedly.

They took the elevator to the first floor and gathered out of sight of the lobby. Before getting into formation, Haruhi wrapped her arms around the twins and stated, “No one can take you from this place of refuge if you don’t want to go. We will make sure of that.”

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other and then at the circle of friends surrounding them. “Thanks,” they murmured in unison.

Releasing the twins, Haruhi said, “Now, let’s go show her that you never cross the Hinan when family is at stake.”

Hibiki looked up from the front desk as the Host Club, in formation, walked out to meet the government representative.

Haruhi noted the fact that the police officers had distanced themselves from the representative and looked ill at ease. Recognizing them from the Cormorant Construction incident, she gave them a small smile and they relaxed a small degree.

Directing a stern gaze at the representative, Haruhi said blandly, “Good afternoon. How may we help you?”

Rina replied condescendingly, “I am Rina Tsukuda, government orphanage representative in charge of elite family orphans. You can hand over Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin to me. You are interfering with government custody of orphans.”

“There is no Hikaru or Kaoru Hitachiin here,” Haruhi stated.

“Don’t give me that,” Rina sneered. “They’re standing right there.” She pointed with the rolled up newspaper in her hand to the twins behind Haruhi.

“You are mistaken,” Haruhi said firmly. “They are Hikaru and Kaoru Hinan.”

Rina clenched her jaw as she replied, “I don’t care what you call them. They’re coming with me.” She gestured to the police officers. “Grab those two and let’s go.”

Haruhi held up a hand. “Not so fast. First, produce the court order that grants you custody.” Though she did not show it outwardly, Haruhi relaxed slightly as, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the arrival of Tachibana and the security detail.

“If I may, Miss Fujioka?” Tachibana asked graciously.

Smiling demurely, Haruhi responded, “By all means.” She took a step back and surreptitiously grabbed Hikaru and Kaoru’s hands.

As Tachibana stepped forward to confront Rina, he opened a folder. “Here are the official adoption papers for Hikaru and Kaoru Hinan. They are not orphans so you have no jurisdiction.”

“Let me see those,” Rina seethed.

As she reached to grab them, Haruhi stepped forward and slapped her hand away. “Look, don’t touch. I wouldn’t put it past you to try destroying them.”

Rina snarled, “You don’t know who you’re dealing with, little girl.”

“Nor do you,” Haruhi riposted.

Taking charge, Tachibana said solemnly, “Since you have no jurisdiction here, I believe you should leave.”

“What if I don’t want to?” Rina pouted. 

“Then you are trespassing and I will ask these nice officers if they would remove you,” he replied with a smirk.

Impotently Rina growled, threw the newspaper on the floor, and stomped out the front door.

Tachibana turned to the police officers. “Thank you for your patience in this matter. Is there anything we can do for you?”

The older officer stepped forward and said, “Thank you for your deft handling. She was throwing her political weight around and we’ve had no experience on how to handle it. Apparently those of you here at Hinansho do.” He touched the bill of his cap and they left without another word.

Haruhi picked up the newspaper and groaned. “Komitsuzawa is at it again.” She showed everyone the headline, ‘Hinan Family Snatches Hitachiin Orphans.’ Reading quickly through the article, her expression turned stony. “Do we know anyone that can run a newspaper properly?” she growled.

Everyone looked at her questioningly.

She took a deep breath and said through clenched teeth, “By the time I’m done with the libel suit against him, we’re going to own a newspaper.”

Kyoya asked, “Just what did he say in the article?”

Haruhi was so angry she was crumpling the paper in her fists. 

Tamaki gently pried it from her grasp and skimmed the article. “Oh boy. No wonder Haruhi’s livid. He speculates that the Hinan family is minor yakuza and was complicit in the death of Yuzuha and Akihiro Hitachiin. He implies that they took the twins in order to steal the Hitachiin fortune and establish their place among the yakuza.”

Kyoya growled. “I’m going to help Haruhi take Komitsuzawa for everything he owns or ever hopes to own in the future. No one smears our name and gets away with it.”

Mitsukuni touched Haruhi’s arm gently to get her attention. “Can we go upstairs? My head is starting to hurt.”

“Of course we can,” she whispered, immediately calming down for his sake. Addressing the Host Club, she said, “Let’s go upstairs and relax. We have a phone call to look forward to and we don’t want to be agitated when Ageha calls.”

When the elevator arrived on the third floor, Mitsukuni said, “I’m going to get Usa-chan.”

Tamaki replied, “We’ll save you a space.”

Mitsukuni walked down the hall to his apartment and unlocked the door. He hurried to the bedroom where Usa-chan sat on the bookcase, right below his framed “adoption” certificate. “ _That’s right. Usa-chan was the first one give refuge by the Hinan Family._ ”

Cuddling the pink bunny, Mitsukuni re-locked his apartment door and headed to Haruhi’s apartment. When he walked in, everyone was sitting around in a somber mood. “ _Hmm, I wonder if there’s something I can do to improve the atmosphere in here._ ” He hugged Usa-chan and then a smile spread across his face.

“Hey, Hikaru, Kaoru?” Mitsukuni asked.

“Yeah?” they responded distractedly.

Grinning Mitsukuni inquired, “How do you two like being Usa-chan’s little brothers?”

There was a stunned silence and then the giggles started, followed by full-blown laughter.

Tachibana and Shima had just come up to check on the Host Club following their run-in with Rina Tsukuda when they heard an unusual noise. They determined that it was coming from Haruhi’s apartment. Opening the door, they were surprised to see all seven hosts laying on the floor, holding their sides and laughing.

Worried that the grief had become too much for them, Shima asked, “What’s wrong?”

First, Haruhi tried to explain, but every time she thought about it, she started laughing again.

Next, Mitsukuni tried, with the same result.

After ten minutes of the hosts trying and failing to explain, Shima started to chuckle and Tachibana smiled broadly.

Finally, Kyoya was able to pull himself together enough to say, “Mitsukuni asked Hikaru and Kaoru how they like being Usa-chan’s little brothers.” And with that, the whole room descended into laughter once again.

<OHSHC>

Fuyumi and her family arrive at Hinansho at five o’clock and she immediately pulled the twins into a hug, fussing over them like a mother hen. “How are you two holding up?” she inquired as she led them to Haruhi’s sofa and sat down. They sat on either side of her and wrapped their arms around her.

Hikaru said, “I don’t think we would be able to make it…”

“…if it weren’t for the Host Club,” Kaoru finished.

“I may not be part of the Host Club, but I’m here for you too,” Fuyumi replied. The trio sat in a comfortable silence as Masaya and Hibiki clamored at Tamaki to play with them.

Seiji approached Kyoya tentatively and asked, “Could I talk to you?”

“Of course,” Kyoya responded. “Let’s go into the kitchen where it will be a little quieter.”

In the kitchen, Haruhi was preparing tea and snacks to distract everyone while waiting for Ageha’s call at six. She looked up as Kyoya and Seiji entered the kitchen.

“If you guys want to talk privately, I can join the others,” Haruhi said.

Seiji responded quickly, “Actually, you should hear this too.”

“That sounds serious,” Haruhi remarked as she leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms.

Looking a little abashed, Seiji explained, “My marriage to Fuyumi was originally just a business arrangement to benefit both our families. We fell in love and the business part became a side issue for us rather than the main focus. However, recently it seems that the Otori Group is trying to either put my family out of business or just plain take over. Long term contracts have suddenly been cancelled, others not been renewed, and the Otori Group has been demanding a complete re-negotiation of all joint ventures.” He paused and ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

“Sounds like my father,” Kyoya affirmed. “What can I do to help?”

Seiji looked at him in surprise and Haruhi smiled softly at his reaction.

Shaking his head, Seiji asked, “You would really help me against your own family—your own father?”

Kyoya chuckled, “Has Fuyumi ever told you the story of the Hinan Family origin?”

Puzzled by the change of topic, he replied, “Yes, she loves telling that story.”

“Then you know that a lot of the basis was to defy my father. What does your family need? How can the Hinan Family help the Shido Family?”

Looking a little uncomfortable, Seiji asked, “Could Fuyumi, the kids, and I live here at Hinansho? Currently we live in one of the Shido family homes and my parents need some place for their siblings’ families to stay. They are being forced out of their current residences under financial pressure.”

“By all means,” Kyoya stated. “Fuyumi’s apartment here should be adequate for your needs.”

“Actually, that would work to our advantage as well,” Haruhi interjected, finally entering the conversation.

“How do you mean?” Seiji asked warily.

Haruhi smiled. “I’ve been trying to figure out how we would work things when Ageha gets back from London. Her brothers will be busy with school and she will need adult supervision.”

Kyoya added, “I’ve been looking into fostering situations but it would be ideal if her fostering family lived here at Hinansho so she can grow up with her brothers. Your family would be perfect because she’s Hibiki’s age, so they will be starting school together soon.”

Seiji relaxed. “I’d have to talk to Fuyumi…”

“About what?” Fuyumi asked from the kitchen doorway.

“About living here at Hinansho and fostering Ageha so she can grow up with her brothers,” Seiji replied.

“Hmm, given our current situation, that sounds like a plan that’s a win all the way around,” Fuyumi answered. “But right now, I come in search of snacks.”

Haruhi laughed. “Then you’ve come to the right place,” she said as she handed the tray sitting on the counter behind her to Fuyumi.

“We’ll be in with tea in just a minute,” Kyoya added.

Seiji looked from his wife’s retreating form to the two teenagers standing with him in the kitchen. “So, just like that…”

Picking up the tea tray, Haruhi answered, “Yeah, just like that. Welcome to the chaos that is the Host Club and the Hinan Family.”

“Hey, Seiji,” Kyoya said, “if any other family members need a place to stay, check with Hibiki at the front desk. I don’t think there are any reservations for the cottages to the east in the foreseeable future.”

Seiji smiled, “Thanks. I’ll pass that information along to my parents.”

They were all sitting around a table enjoying their tea and snacks when Kyoya’s phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he placed it on the table. “You are on speaker. How are things in London?” Kyoya asked.

“Boring!” Ageha answered. “Every place interesting is closed because of the stupid bombings. If it wasn’t bad enough they killed Mom and Dad, they also took all the fun out of being here.”

“Ageha, it’s so good to hear your voice,” Hikaru and Kaoru chorused. “We’ve been so worried about you.”

“Well, I’m fine,” she stated. “Nanny has a broken leg because some baka panicked during the evacuation and pushed her down the stairs. It was right in front of the emergency services people. He ‘tripped’ and broke his arm but they wouldn’t look at it until they took care of Nanny’s leg and my ‘stubbed’ toe.” She giggle softly.

Hikaru and Kaoru grinned at each other as they realized the tone of her voice hinted that she had something to do with the trip and there was a story behind her comments.

Kyoya spoke up, “Ageha, the forms have been filed for new travel documents, so you and Nanny will be coming home soon. Because your brothers have school, my sister and her family will be coming to London to bring you home. Is that okay with you?”

“You mean Hibiki will be coming? That will be great. Hey, is Milord there?” Ageha asked.

Tamaki piped up, “I’m right here. What do you need?”

Her tone turned serious as she said, “You are taking good care of my brothers, right?”

“Not just me,” he replied. “The whole Host Club is helping out. Your brothers are very special to us.”

“Thanks. Those two are so helpless at times I was worried about them. I needed to hear that,” Ageha sighed.

The group chatted with Ageha for a few more minutes before she decided that the phone call was boring and she wanted to go play.

Haruhi asked, “So, Hikaru, Kaoru, do you feel a little better now?”

Hikaru chuckled. “it was good to hear Ageha’s voice.”

“I’m glad she’s just as opinionated as ever. I know she probably hasn’t fully realized that Mom and Dad are gone for good, but at least she hasn’t withdrawn into a shell.” Kaoru added.

Fuyumi wrapped an arm around each of the twins. “Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of her.”

“Thanks, we know you will,” they replied in unison.

Haruhi slipped into the kitchen and dialed the number for the law office where she worked as an intern.

“Good evening, how may I direct your call?” the secretary answered.

“Hi, Ms. Nagano. I need to speak to Mr. Naruse,” Haruhi stated.

“Hey, Haruhi. How are the twins doing? Please pass along my condolences,” Ms. Nagano replied.

“Thanks, but how did you hear?” Haruhi asked.

“A news program this morning reported the Hitachiins’ death in London. Mr. Naruse showed me the article in the Komitsuzawa papers this morning, But I really didn’t believe it until your father confirmed it was true when he stopped by the office to have lunch with Mr. Naruse,” Mei answered.

“It’s been hard but we’re here for them,” Haruhi said.

“You all take care. I’ll transfer you to Mr. Naruse now.”

“Thanks.”

“Good evening Haruhi. How can I help you?” Mr. Naruse asked.

Haruhi responded, “I need you to represent the Hinan family in a lawsuit.”

He chuckled. “Let me guess, a libel and defamation suit against Komitsuzawa?”

“How did you know?” she returned dryly.

Ryo’s voice hardened. “After the Shibasaki case, I started picking up a copy of Komitsuzawa’s paper regularly. I figured that would give me a heads-up of potential lawsuits people may want to file against them. I saw the headline this morning and I was extremely offended. Until that moment, I hadn’t realized just how deeply invested I was in the Hinan family.”

“Well, you were instrumental in its creation,” Haruhi stated.

“No, you created it. I just helped get it legal standing,” he replied.

Haruhi said, “Then you agree we have grounds for a suit, right?”

“Most definitely,” Ryo allowed. “In fact, it’s already been filed.”

“What?” Haruhi exclaimed, slightly confused. “How?”

“As soon as I saw the article, I made a lunch date with your father. When I told him what Komitsuzawa said, he was absolutely enraged. By the time he arrived at the office, I had the documents drawn up. Ryoji signed them on behalf of the Hinan family as their registered agent and we filed them on the way to lunch,” Ryo answered smugly.

“Wow, thanks. Be sure to send the bill to Hinansho as the retainer agreement states,” Haruhi directed.

“Oh no, this one is on me,” he replied. “There’s no one else I would rather sue, given their attitude during the Shibasaki suit last year when you started your internship.”

Haruhi shook her head and chuckled. “Okay, have it your way.”

Then she sobered. “Hey, Mr. Naruse, how are you going to explain the Hinan family without revealing that the Host Club is involved? I don’t know how Kyoya’s father or Tamaki’s grandmother would react to finding out the Hinan family was basically created to foil any plots by them against Kyoya and Tamaki. If they found out, it would probably reduce the effectiveness of any actions we tried to take against them.”

“Hm, that is a valid point,” Ryo responded. “I was thinking of asking to meet the judge in chambers to explain that the Hinan family was created by a small group of elite minors as a safety net.”

“That sounds like a viable plan,” Haruhi allowed. “But what if the judge wants to know why they wanted a safety net.”

Ryo hummed, contemplating the potential of that line of inquiry. “I can’t exactly tell the judge it’s because they suspect they’ll be disowned. That sounds a little suspicious, like they’re involved in something illegal or immoral. That wouldn’t help the defamation case any.”

Haruhi exclaimed, “Wait! I know what angle to use—the Kami Tsuchiya disappearance.”

“What’s that?” Ryo asked, sounding puzzled.

“Several years ago, Kami Tsuchiya was a student at Ouran, a year younger than Hikaru and Kaoru. She was orphaned when her parents were killed in a plane crash. Because she had no other relatives, she was placed in a government orphanage. Within a year, the estate was completely expended, supposedly to pay for her upkeep. Then Kami disappeared from the orphanage. Her story has not been the only such case, just the most recent,” Haruhi explained.

“That would definitely be a valid reason to create a safety net,” Ryo commented. “I’ll have to look into the Tsuchiya story some more so I have answers if the judge asks for relevant details.”

“You should start by talking to Shima,” Haruhi offered. “She and the Tsuchiya’s former head housekeeper are friends. Shima plans to have tea with her soon to talk about Kami’s disappearance because of the government representative, Rina Tsukuda, who showed up today. She tried to forcibly take custody of Hikaru and Kaoru, despite already knowing about the adoption into the Hinan family.”

“That’s interesting,” Ryo responded. “Thank you for the information. I’ll call Shima tomorrow and see if I can set up a meeting for Monday.”

“Oh, speaking of Rina Tsukuda,” Haruhi mentioned hesitantly, “would you be willing to represent the Hinan family--or Hikaru and Kaoru--if she files suit. She tried to claim that the affidavits from the Hitachiins that were filed with the adoption papers were forgeries.”

“It would be my pleasure,” Ryo assured her. “Meanwhile, I’ll look into the Tsuchiya case and deal with Komitsuzawa.”

Haruhi sighed. “Thanks, that’s a load off my mind.” She tried to suppress a yawn. “See you on Monday.”

He chuckled. “You get some rest. We’ll see you Monday.”

Haruhi ended the call, turned around, and jumped.

Kyoya stood leaning on the door frame to the kitchen, smirking at her reaction.

“Warn a person, would you?” she huffed, placing her hand over her heart.

“What’s the fun in that?” he purred smugly in response.

Haruhi shook her head in exasperation. “So, just how long have you been standing there?”

“Since the point you mentioned Rina Tsukuda and asked about representation. You were talking to Mr. Naruse, I presume?” he asked.

“Yes, that was Mr. Naruse,” she confirmed.

“Did you talk to him about filing a libel suit?” Kyoya inquired.

Haruhi chuckled. “Actually, that was the reason I called him. Turns out he and Dad saw the article this morning. Mr. Naruse was offended, and Dad was enraged by it, so the lawsuit for libel and defamation was drawn up, signed, and filed before noon.”

“Defamation as well?” Kyoya queried.

“Yeah,” Haruhi replied. “If his tone was anything to go by, he may have included things like emotional distress and psychological abuse.”

“Good,” Kyoya affirmed. “Now we just need to figure out what we’re going to do with a newspaper.”

The pair pondered in silence for a few minutes and then Haruhi suggested, “We could contact a journalism professor at the University for recommendations.”

Kyoya smiled. “Good idea. For now, let’s head back in before they come looking for us, thinking we’re hiding in here making out.”


	8. A New Normal

Monday was rough for the Host Club. Mitsukuni and Takashi returned to University and the others headed to Ouran. Between expressions of sympathy for the Hitachiins and declarations of disappointment about the cancelled Valentine party, the hosts were constantly being inundated by their classmates. Even though the club was closed until further notice, Kyoya, Tamaki, Haruhi, and the twins gathered in Music Room Three to support each other before separating for the evening.

Kyoya looked at his watch and sighed. “I hate to say it, but I have to get going. Tachibana took the heat for my ‘emergency’ last week, but I suspect my father’s temper will still be rather volatile if I don’t return to the Otori estate.”

“Take care, mon ami,” Tamaki said, patting him on the shoulder. “I’ll be spending at least a week at Hinansho to help the twins get settled.”

“Isn’t that an unsettling thought?” Hikaru teased. Kaoru rolled his eyes at his twin’s attempt at humor.

“I need to go home to check on Dad and do some chores,” Haruhi explained. “I’ll talk to him about spending a few days a week at Hinansho with you guys.”

“Thanks, Haruhi,” Kaoru responded. “That would mean a lot to us.”

<OHSHC>

While the hosts were busy at school, Hinansho was abuzz with activity. The Shido family was moving into Fuyumi’s office apartment and Mr. Naruse was meeting with Shima.

“Masaya and Hibiki, you need to stay out from under foot,” Fuyumi declared, frowning at her children. “Either someone is going to trip over you or they’re going to step on you. Either way, someone is going to get hurt.”

“But there’s nothing to do,” Masaya whined. “All my toys and games are packed up.”

Hibiki Ito walked up and tapped Fuyumi on the shoulder. “Would you like me to take them out to the gardens to play? I could even take them over to see Dai and Miku.”

“Oh, that would be such a help,” Fuyumi exclaimed. “Are you sure it’s not too much trouble?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if it was any trouble,” Hibiki answered. “The only problem may be getting them back from Miku at the end of the day. You know how she loves kids.”

“Masaya, Hibiki,” Fuyumi called. “Mrs. Ito is going to take you over to the farm to visit.”

“Yay,” they yelled in unison and grabbed Mrs. Ito’s hands. They chatted happily at her as they headed out the front door.

“Whew,” Seiji sighed. “That will make things a whole lot easier.”

As Seiji and Fuyumi walked out the front door to bring in anther load of boxes, they saw Mr. Naruse getting out of his car.

“Good morning,” Fuyumi greeted.

“Good morning,” Ryo replied. “Do you know where I can find Shima?”

Fuyumi thought for a moment. “I’m not sure where she is right now. The person manning the front desk can call her to come to the lobby for you.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that,” Ryo replied as he headed in the door.

Shima was just coming from the direction of the kitchen when she saw Ryo enter the lobby. “Good morning,” she called.

“Good morning,” he replied. “I guess I won’t have to have the front desk call you after all.”

Shima chuckled. “I just finished my rounds and was going to call you to see what was taking so long.”

“Then we’re both right on time,” Ryo teased.

“So, let’s get down to business,” Shima said. “My friend, Kyoko Enami, will be here at noon. I decided lunch, rather than tea, would be more conducive to our discussion.”

“I agree,” Ryo replied. “Thanks to your information, I was able to do some research that may prove very helpful.”

Shima pointed to an alcove near the front desk. “We can work in there undisturbed and see Kyoko when she arrives.”

The pair spent the next couple hours sorting through Ryo’s research, piecing together the history of Rina Tsukuda.

Ryo commented, “I cannot believe how much she has been allowed to get away with. Selling off estate assets for paltry amounts to holding companies that she owned is nothing short of embezzlement.”

Shaking her head, Shima said, “The research you have done is incredibly detailed. Rina was the government representative for not just Kami Tsuchiya, but also Toma Matsunaga and Suzume Ikuta.”

Looking up, Ryo was about to comment when he noticed Rina Tsukuda and a police officer enter the lobby and head for the front desk. “What could she want?” he pondered aloud.

Shima turned around and saw the desk clerk pick up the phone and call someone. Minutes later, Tachibana arrived. They watched as the officer handed papers to Tachibana. He appeared to ask the desk clerk a question and the clerk pointed to the alcove.

Tachibana looked in their direction and motioned for them to join the group in the lobby. Shima left the alcove followed closely by Ryo.

Tachibana handed the paper to Ryo and asked tightly, “Does this give Ms. Tsukuda custody of Hikaru and Kaoru?”

“Who is he and what business is it of his?” Rina demanded.

Looking at her disdainfully, Tachibana replied, “This is a lawyer the Hinan family has on retainer.”

Ryo took the offered paper and read it through carefully. After a few minutes, he folded it up and stated, “No, it does not. It does require that the Hinan family appear in court next week with the twins and proof that the affidavits are authentic.”

Shima looked up to see her friend, Kyoko enter the lobby and look around. Seeing, Shima she hurried over and pulled her into a hug. “It’s been too long,” Kyoko murmured.

Noticing Rina, Kyoko stiffened. “What is that…person doing here?” she whispered to Shima, waving a hand in Rina’s direction like she was shooing away a pesky fly.

“Trying to get her hands on the Hitachiin estate,” Shima huffed.

“Again?” Kyoko asked.

“Don’t worry,” Shima assured her. “We have things handled."

Just then Rina noticed Kyoko. “What is she doing here?” Rina demanded.

Tachibana stepped between Rina and Kyoko. “That is none of your concern. Your papers have been served so you have no further business here. You should leave,” he stated bluntly.

Rina looked around for the police officer to demand that he make them give her custody of the twins. However, he had left as soon as he served the papers to Tachibana because his job was complete.

“You can leave on your own or I can have security escort you from the premises,” Tachibana warned.

Impotently, Rina huffed and left.

Kyoko muttered, “Good riddance to bad rubbish. Now let’s go have lunch. I have so much to tell you.”

<OHSHC>

On Wednesday, Fuyumi received notice that the new travel documents for Ageha and her nanny had been sent to London via diplomatic pouch.

Seiji said, “We should be settled here by Friday. Why don’t we leave on Saturday to head to London?”

Fuyumi smiled. “That’s a good idea. The hearing about the adoptions is next week. Do we want to be back for that? Or should we spend some time sightseeing so Ageha isn’t here for all that drama?”

“Come to think of it, Rina has never once mentioned Ageha. I wonder if she even knows about her?” Seiji mused.

“Hmm, you’re right. She never has. Let’s do a ten-day sightseeing trip. The drama will be all over, but we’ll still make it home in time for Mitsukuni’s birthday at the end of the month,” Fuyumi decided.

“We should probably inform the Host Club, so they know what’s going on,” Seiji suggested.

Fuyumi smiled and nodded. “You go grab Tamaki and the twins while I get the other four on a conference call.”

Fifteen minutes later they were discussing the trip and where Ageha might like to go.

Hikaru stated, “Given what just happened to our parents, I’d avoid the fashion hot spots like Paris, Milan, and New York.”

“Definitely,” Fuyumi agreed.

“Hey, I have an idea. Ageha mentioned around Christmas time that she’d like to visit America sometime. Maybe Disney World, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld in Florida?” Kaoru suggested.

Seiji and Fuyumi looked at one another and smiled. “Hibiki and Masaya have been wanting to go to those places as well,” Seiji said.

“Don’t forget Knott’s Berry Farm in California,” Fuyumi added. “Hey, Kyoya, you still have properties in Florida and California, don’t you?”

“Yes,” he replied. “And yes, you may use them for your trip. I will inform the staff at both properties to expect you.”

“Thanks, little brother,” Fuyumi teased in a sing-song voice.

Haruhi laughed. “That would make it a round-the-world tour. From here to London to Florida to California and then back here.”

“That sounds like fun,” Tamaki commented. “Maybe we should do that as a family sometime.”

“Another time, Tamaki,” Kyoya said. “We have school to worry about right now.”

“So that settles it for our trip, and we’ll leave on Saturday,” Fuyumi stated.

There was a chorus of agreement.

Kyoya interrupted. “On a related note, I was notified that the judge entered a summary judgement against Komitsuzawa because he refused to appear in court.”

“So, now we own a newspaper,” Mitsukuni stated, rubbing his hands together with glee. “I’ll talk to the Journalism professor tomorrow.”

“If that’s everything, I suggest we call it a night,” Haruhi said. “I have to study for a test tomorrow.”

“Just one more note,” Kyoya interjected. “I sent messages to the Hitachiin grandparent’s drop boxes informing them of the date of the hearing. I don’t know if they’ll receive the messages in time but at least they have been informed.”

Seiji responded, “The trip’s all we had. We’ll see you all when we get back.”

“Good night all,” Tamaki announced as Fuyumi ended the conference call.

<OHSHC>

First thing Tuesday morning, Mr. Naruse accompanied the Host Club to the courtroom where the Hitachiins’ custody hearing was being held. Ms. Ueno, Judge Ryuzaki’s clerk, was already there. She was summoned as a witness because she was the notary for Yuzuha, Akihiro, and Kazuha Hitachiin’s affidavits. 

Judge Ryuzaki was also in the gallery as a character witness. He had to recuse himself from the case because he had accepted the affidavits and approved the adoptions.

Hikaru and Kaoru took seats at the defendants table with Mr. Naruse. The rest of the Host Club sat directly behind them to provide moral support.

“We still have half an hour before court is scheduled to start. Do any of you have any questions?” Mr. Naruse asked.

Haruhi leaned forward and the twins turned their chairs to grasp her hands like lifelines. She asked, “Have you heard from Kyoko? Was she able to locate everyone?”

Mr. Naruse nodded. “She contacted me this morning. Atsuhiro will make sure they are here in plenty of time for the hearing.”

“Sorry,” Haruhi said. “I trust you. I guess I’m just nervous.”

“No problem,” he replied. “I know you’re worried about your friends. Just trust me.” He patted his briefcase. “I have everything we need right here—and then some. Kyoya and Tachibana are quite the investigators.”

She sighed and smiled at Kyoya. “Yeah. Never go in against his information network. You would have already lost before you even knew there was a battle going on.”

“Hopefully it will be enough,” Hikaru murmured. The other members of the Host Club gathered around, wrapping their arms around Haruhi and the twins. Haruhi reached up to pull Hikaru and Kaoru’s heads down in turn, giving them each a kiss on the cheek.

They all settled back into their seats as other people started to enter the courtroom and take seats.

Five minutes before the hearing was scheduled to start, Rina entered wearing a self-satisfied smirk. Accompanying her was a harried looking attorney, cringing away from Rina.

Haruhi scowled, contemplating what Rina must have done to make him look so fearful. Then her face lit up as Tachibana and Atsuhiro escorted Shima, Kyoko, and four people Haruhi didn’t recognize in and helped them get settled in the back row.

Kyoya smirked and thought, “ _All the pieces are here. This is going to be interesting_.”

The bailiff entered through the door at the front of the courtroom and announced, “All rise. The honorable Judge Hatori presiding.”

The judge took her seat at the bench and called the session to order. “In the matter of the custody of Hikaru and Kaoru, are the defendants present?”

“Yes, your honor,” Mr. Naruse rose briefly and replied simply,

“Is the plaintiff present?” the judge asked.

Rina’s lawyer said nervously, “Yes, your honor.”

“Please call your first witness, Mr. Yabu,” Judge Hatori directed.

“I call Rina Tsukuda to the stand,” the lawyer stated timidly.

Rina strode arrogantly up to the witness stand and took her seat like a queen conferring the gift of her presence and expecting tribute.

The bailiff administered the oath and then stepped back to his place by the bench.

Clearing his throat noisily, Mr. Yabu stepped forward and said, “Please state your name, occupation, and reason for this hearing.”

Smirking, Rina declared, “My name is Rina Tsukuda. I am the duly appointed government orphanage representative assigned to help elite minors who have no adult relatives. I was informed by my contact at the courthouse that Yuzuha and Akihiro Hitachiin were killed in a bombing in London earlier this month, leaving Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin orphans. There are living grandparents, but they travel extensively in areas that challenge prompt communication. I have been unable to locate them to inform them of the status of their grandsons, so I tried to take custody of the twins and inventory the estate.”

“You say you tried,” Mr. Yabu confirmed.

“I immediately went to the Hitachiin estate but was informed by the butler that Hikaru and Kaoru were at Hinansho, their new home. Since I was unable to take custody of the twins at that time, I determined that I should complete the inventory. However, the butler refused to allow me access. He said that a protection order had been placed on the property allowing only Kazuha Hitachiin to access it without a court order,” she huffed.

“If you went directly to the estate after being notified, how had the twins been taken and the protection order placed?” the lawyer asked. 

Rina snorted. “I called my contact at the courthouse and found out that the Hinan family was behind it all. Their lackey showed up first thing in the morning at the courthouse with adoption papers and forged affidavits before anyone even knew the Hitachiins were dead. They must have had a hand in the deaths.”

Mr. Naruse rose to his feet and said, “I object, Your Honor. Speculation.” To himself, he added, “Not to mention slander.”

The judge addressed the witness sternly, “Ms. Tsukuda, please refrain from making wild accusations and stick to the facts.”

Livid at being chastised, Rina scowled. “What was I to think? My contact was on duty when adoption papers were brought in for Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. Because there was no official notice of the Hitachiins’ death, he could not accept them. The person who tried to file them was a lackey for the Hinan family. 

“My contact was suspicious of the lackey’s behavior, so he followed him to Judge Ryuzaki’s office. There he heard the judge call Scotland Yard in England to confirm that the Hitachiins had been killed in a terrorist bombing. If the Hinan family was not involved in the deaths, how did they find out before official notification?”

Judge Hatori addressed Mr. Naruse, “Counselor, I would like to speak to a member of the Hinan family to clear up the notification timing.”

“Your Honor,” Mr. Naruse replied, “could we take this matter into your chambers? There are some facts that you as the judge will need that should not be bandied about in public.”

The judge considered the request for a moment. “Very well. Court is in recess for fifteen minutes while I speak to the counselors in my chambers.”

Mr. Naruse and Mr. Yabu rose to follow the judge through the door at the front of the courtroom. When Rina tried to follow, the bailiff blocked her path.

“Get out of my way,” Rina snarled. “I should be included in the conference.”

The bailiff looked at her disdainfully and replied, “If the judge wants you, she will send for you.”

In the judge’s chambers, she said,” Okay, Mr. Naruse, please explain the reason for such confidentiality.”

Ryo chuckled. “The Hinan family is the creation of a small group of elite minors to provide a refuge in the unlikely instance that one or more of them was orphaned. Most of them knew a girl named Kami Tsuchiya who was orphaned almost four years ago. In the space of a year, her estate was embezzled and she vanished.”

Mr. Yabu interrupted, “That doesn’t explain how they knew about the Hitachiins’ deaths.”

“I was getting to that,” Mr. Naruse responded impatiently. “Even though they are minors, they are elites and have international investments. One of the members was checking the London markets and saw the news reports about the bombings in the fashion district. He knew that the Hitachiins were in London because the twins are friends of his. He informed the group and they followed contingency plans they had created for just such a circumstance.”

The judge pondered Mr. Naruse’s explanation. “That explains a lot. It actually makes this case unnecessary. I’m willing to rule in the Hinan family’s favor right now.”

“Actually, Your Honor,“ Ryo interrupted, “we’d like to continue--if that’s agreeable with you.”

“May I ask why?” Judge Hatori inquired.

Ryo took a deep breath and replied, “Justice.”

Judge Hatori turned to Mr. Yabu and asked, “Do you have any objections?”

He shrugged and answered, “How can anyone object to justice?”

“Well, our fifteen minutes is up. Let’s head back to the courtroom,” the judge instructed.

Back in the courtroom everyone was settling down after the recess. When the judge called court back to order, she asked, “Mr. Naruse, do you wish to cross-examine Ms. Tsukuda?”

“Yes, Your Honor, I most certainly do,” he replied.

Rina reluctantly returned to the witness stand with a scowl on her face. 

Judge Hatori stated, “Remember, you are still under oath.”

Mr. Naruse asked, “Why did you assume the affidavits were forgeries? Did you actually examine them?”

“They would have to be fake. One was supposed to be signed by Kazuha Hitachiin. She hasn’t been in Japan since last year,” Rina protested.

“Did you even bother looking at the affidavits before declaring them forgeries?” Ryo inquired.

Rina snorted. “Why waste my time? Like I said, there’s no way they could be authentic.”

Ryo shook his head. “ _I don’t think I’m going to get anywhere with her right now._ ” Turning to the judge, he said, “I have no more questions at this time, but I reserve the right to recall this witness.”

“Very well,” Judge Hatori agreed. “Mr. Yabu, please call your next witness.”

Mr. Yabu replied, “I have no other witness.”

“Mr. Naruse, please call your first witness,” the judge stated.

“I call Sae Ueno,” Mr. Naruse said.

She took her place in the witness box and the bailiff swore her in.

Ryo asked, “Please state your name, occupation, and your relationship to this case.”

Ms. Ueno said, “My name is Sae Ueno and I am Judge Ryuzaki’s clerk. I was the notary who authenticated the affidavits for the Hitachiins last summer.”

“And can you confirm, to the best of your knowledge, that Yuzuha, Akihiro, and Kazuha Hitachiin were the ones who signed those affidavits?” Mr. Naruse prompted.

Ms. Ueno answered primly, “As part of the notary process, I am required to examine an official photo identification to confirm that the person signing is who they say they are. Aside from that, they are very high profile individuals who are well recognized.”

“Thank you. You are excused. Next, I call Hikaru Hinan,” Ryo stated.

“I object,” Mr. Yabu declared. “That is Hikaru Hitachiin, not Hinan.”

“Overruled,” Judge Hatori said. “Unless this case proves otherwise, the adoption and name change are legally binding.”

During the wrangling, Hikaru was sworn in and took his seat in the witness box.

Mr. Naruse directed, “Please explain, to the best of your knowledge, why your parents and grandmother signed these affidavits and…”

“I can explain that for myself,” Kazuha declared as she walked confidently through the doors at the back of the courtroom.

“You may step down, Mr. Hinan,” Judge Hatori said. “Mrs. Hitachiin, please take the stand.”

The bailiff administered the oath and she settled in.

“Mrs. Hitachiin, please explain why you, your daughter, and son-in-law signed the affidavits last summer,” Ryo asked.

“Last year, my grandsons made the acquaintance of the Hinan family through contacts at Ouran where they attend high school. For several years, Yuzuha and I have been looking for an acceptable family to act as guardians in the event something happened to Yuzuha and her husband. My husband and I travel so much to such exotic locations that we cannot always be reached easily if there is an emergency.

“We both thought it was fortuitous that Hinan means refuge. That was exactly what we were looking for, a refuge for the children if case of catastrophe. Hikaru and Kaoru actually approached us about the adoption idea before we could pursue the idea of guardianship. Given certain past…events, the twins explained how an adoption could offer more protection than a guardianship.

“We agreed and the papers were drawn up. Judge Ryuzaki and his clerk were instrumental in helping us get everything documented, notarized, and filed. Last week we were notified of the death of my daughter and her husband, so my husband and I made arrangements to come home to be sure the children were settling in well with the Hinan family. Imagine my shock to arrive home late yesterday evening and be informed that there was a court case challenging the adoption.”

Mr. Naruse inquired, “You mention past events. Would you elaborate on that statement?”

Kazuha looked right at Kami sitting in the gallery, smiled, and said, “Oh, I would be happy to elaborate. About four years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Tsuchiya were killed in a plane crash. Their only surviving relative was their daughter, Kami. Kami was just barely eleven years old. As a minor with no living relatives, the government stepped in and placed her in the orphanage system.

“Quite frankly, nothing the government representative did made any sense. Kami’s tuition to Ouran was paid through the end of the school year but the representative pulled her out and sent her to an orphanage in Osaka. Within three months, the representative sold the Tsuchiya fragrance company, claiming that the funds were needed to pay the upkeep of Kami. It was sold for a pittance. Within six months, all the personal property and real estate was sold, once again with the claim it was to pay for Kami’s upkeep.

“Before the one-year anniversary of the Tsuchiyas’ death, word made it back to the elite families that Kami had disappeared from the orphanage in Osaka. The government representative dismissed it as Kami running off with some man because she had run through the family assets and was looking for a sugar daddy.”

“How did you know the detail of that case?” Ryo asked.

“My daughter partnered with the Tsuchiya on several occasions when Yuzuha wanted a specific fragrance to enhance a fashion line. In fact, the last collaboration featured a fragrance designed by Kami when she was just ten years old. That girl has some real talent. Her disappearance was quite tragic.” Once again, she looked directly at Kami and smiled. This time Kami smiled back timidly.

“Was this the only past event?” Ryo prompted.

“HA! Not at all. Six years ago, Toma Matsunaga was orphaned at sixteen and the Matsunaga venue empire met the same fate as the Tsuchiya fragrance company. Eight years ago, Suzume Ikuta was orphaned just weeks short of her eighteenth birthday but the government orphanage representative still stepped in claiming she was a minor and had to submit to the government’s authority. The Ikuta housing conglomerate suffered the same fate.

“When Hikaru and Kaoru talked to us about the Hinan family and we thought about these three instances, it struck us that it was a shichi-go-san pattern—seven-five-three. Somehow the thought that there could be another elite orphan soon just lent urgency to the need,” Kazuha finished.

Mr. Naruse asked, “Would you happen to know the name of the government representatives in those three cases?”

Mrs. Hitachiin chuckled. “No,” she replied. “But you could ask Kami, Toma, and Suzume. I’m sure they would remember.”

Ryo appeared confused. “How can we ask them? Didn’t they all disappear?”

“Be that as it may,” she responded. “They are all sitting right there in the gallery.” She pointed to the group sitting in the back row of the gallery.

Rina’s head whipped around, and she was shocked to see Suzume, Toma, and Kami stand up as the judge gestured for them to come forward.

Taking a hint from Kazuha’s testimony, Judge Hatori said gently, “Would you three please approach the bench?”

Suzume wrapped a protective arm around Kami’s shoulders as the trio made their way to the front of the courtroom. As they passed the plaintiff’s table, Rina started to lunge at them but was stopped by the heavy hand of the bailiff on her shoulder. Toma scowled at Rina and placed himself between her and the others.

The judge noted Ms. Tsukuda’s attempt to attack the three young people she called forward. She nodded her approval to the bailiff, and he understood that he was to remain by the plaintiff’s table to subdue Rina if necessary.

Leaning forward, Judge Hatori asked, “Kami, do you remember the name of the government representative?”

She nodded timidly and whispered, “Rina Tsukuda.” She also turned slightly and pointed to where Rina sat seething impotently.

“How about you, Toma?” the judge inquired.

He growled, “Rina Tsukuda is the thief who stole my family’s legacy.” Toma glared at Rina and stepped to block her view of Kami.

The judge turned her attention to Suzume. “The same for you?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” she stated clearly. “She used her position as a government official to cut me off from my friends and plunder my family’s estate.”

“That’s not true!” Rina shrieked. She tried to get to her feet, but the bailiff held her in her chair.

“If I may, Your Honor?” Mr. Naruse interrupted, pulling thick files out of his briefcase.

“What have you?” Judge Hatori questioned.

Placing the files on the bench for the judge, Ryo explained, “This is the information in public records regarding the cases of Ms. Ikuta, Mr. Matsunaga, and Miss Tsuchiya. It is evidence to support their claims against Rina Tsukuda.”

He turned and looked Rina in the eye. “The top document in each file is a copy of the lawsuit I have filed on behalf of each of them to recover as much of their family properties as is legally possible.”

Kazuha cleared her throat daintily and the judge looked in her direction. “Oh, I apologize, Mrs. Hitachiin. I completely forgot you were still waiting in the witness box. You may step down.”

“Actually, I have a bit more information relevant to this case—well, these cases, Your Honor,” she said seriously.

“If you think that it’s relevant, please proceed,” Judge Hatori allowed.

“It began twelve years ago when Tao Tsukuda and her boyfriend/lead model, Sho Tenma, were killed in a car accident. Tao was the creative genius behind Tsukuda Fashions, and she planned for the eventuality of something happening by leaving three years of designs. She figured that would be enough time for her family to transition to some other industry if they couldn’t find any design-talented individual to take her place.

“Instead, they chose to steal unreleased designs by Yuzuha Hitachiin. Tao and Yuzuha had not been rivals because they had very different styles and market niches. The Tsukudas subverted the Danno trucking family to get the location of the Hitachiin warehouses. Hitachiin security caught them in the act and Yuzuha had them charged with theft.

“Before they could go to trial, both couples—the Tsukudas and the Dannos-- disappeared. There were rumors that they committed ritual suicide or moved to America and changed their names. Whatever became of the parents, they left their heirs with nothing. Both Rina and Masaki were away at University when the attempted theft took place.

Because neither of them could be involved, it was decided to give them government jobs so they could support themselves. Rina was made the government orphanage representative specializing in elite families because she had lived that life. Masaki chose to become a courthouse clerk,” Kazuha finished.

“See, it’s all their fault,” Rina shrieked, pointing to Hikaru and Kaoru. “If it hadn’t been for them charging my family with theft, my parents wouldn’t have disappeared, and our estate would not have been confiscated. The clothes were unreleased. You didn’t want or need them anyway.”

“Bailiff, please remove Ms. Tsukuda from the courtroom and remand her into custody for contempt of court,” Judge Hatori ordered.

After Rina was led away, still shrieking and hurling accusations, the judge declared, “It is the decision of this court to accept the affidavits and the adoption papers for Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin to become Hikaru and Kaoru Hinan.” Judge Hatori banged the gavel and said, “Case dismissed.”

The Host Club jumped to their feet and wrapped the twins in a group hug.

Kazuha finally stepped down from the witness box and led Suzume, Toma, and Kami over to the defendants table.

When Hikaru and Kaoru were released by the Host Club, they turned around to find their grandmother smiling at them. “I see you boys have been busy. Do we have time to get together and catch up?”

Haruhi said, “Excuse me.”

The twins pulled Kazuha over to where Haruhi was standing. “What do you need?” Hikaru asked.

“Well, I was just going to suggest that we all head to Hinansho and celebrate,” Haruhi answered. When Suzume, Toma, and Kami started to move away, she continued, “You all are invited, too. In fact, arrangements have been made for you to stay at Hinansho for a few days.”

As their spokesman, Suzume responded, “That’s very generous of you, but you don’t have to…”

Haruhi interrupted her. “It’s no trouble and we actually would like to talk each of you about your cases.”

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at Kami with puppy eyes. “Please come, Kami,” Kaoru pleaded.

“ _These are not the Hitachiin twins that I remember, but I’d like to get to know them,_ ” Kami thought. She looked at Toma and then Suzume. Both nodded in response to her unasked question. “Sure, we’ll come,” Kami answered with a shy smile.

<OHSHC>

The group from the courthouse was in the small dining room at Hinansho enjoying their lunch and chatting amicably. Suzume, Toma, and Kami sat together with Kami in the middle. Hikaru and Kaoru sat across from them so they could talk to Kami. The twins’ grandparents sat next to them, silently watching the boys teasing smiles out of Kami.

Although Haruhi would have preferred to be with the legal professionals sitting in the corner deep in conversation, she was seated next to Suzume. “So how long have you three known each other?” Haruhi inquired politely, trying to start a conversation.

Suzume chuckled. “You wouldn’t know it to look at us, but we met less than twenty-four hours ago,” she replied.

“Really?” Haruhi said in amazement.

“Yeah, really,” Suzume answered. “I met Toma when he and Atsuhiro picked me up in Kyoto. I guess Atsuhiro picked him up first because he was the farthest one away, in Kobe. We talked about what it was like to adjust after Rina basically cut us off and stole everything. We finished the swearing part of the conversation before we picked up Kami in Osaka. We didn’t want to traumatizer her any more than she already had been.”

Haruhi laughed. “I can imagine you did have some choice…adjectives for Rina and all she put you through. Maybe later, if you guys are comfortable, you could tell us your stories—without expletives or colorful metaphors.”

Suzume smiled at Haruhi. “I’ll think about it. Kami and Toma will have to decide for themselves.”

On the other side of Kami, Toma was talking to Kyoya. “Is it possible that there is anything left of my family’s venue holdings?” Toma asked dejectedly.

Kyoya nodded and explained, “I helped Tachibana with the research and analysis on all three of your families’ assets. For the most part, they were held intact in holding companies owned by Rina. The suits that Mr. Naruse filed on your behalf froze her assets until everything is sorted out and your assets are returned to you.”

“You mean there is actually something left? Even after all these years?” Toma inquired.

“None of the properties were sold after she purchased them with her holding companies. However, Rina did very little upkeep on them so some have been closed due to maintenance issues. That includes a luxury hotel not far from here,” Kyoya responded.

Toma laughed mirthlessly. “So I may get the assets back but there will be no cash to make repairs so they can start generating revenues again.”

“Actually,” Kyoya commented, “I have a proposal that would help you and it relates to the nearby hotel.”

“What’s that?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow in interest.

“The Hinan family wants to purchase that property—at top market value—to remodel it into a hospital. They purchased the clinic from the Otori Group last fall when they wanted to shut it down because it wasn’t making enough money to suit them. However, the nearest hospital is still twenty kilometers away,” Kyoya expounded.

“They would really do that—buy it at top market value—even though it’s fallen into disrepair and been closed?” Toma asked incredulously.

Kyoya assured him, “The Hinan family wants a hospital, but building from the ground up would take a long time. A more efficient method would be to retrofit an existing building. Your hotel happens to be less than a block from the clinic, making it the perfect location. It may be in disrepair, but the structure is still sound.”

Toma responded, “That would definitely provide me with cash to start renovating other properties so they could start generating revenue. We can work out the details after all the legal wrangling is done and I have clear title again.”

At the opposite end of the table from the legal professionals, Tamaki sat listening enraptured to Shima chatting happily with her old friend Kyoko and Kyoko’s sister, Sachiko. Apparently they had been high school friends, getting together regularly until Sachiko got married and moved to Osaka. Shima told her friends stories about the Host Club and Tamaki joined in with the stories and laughter.

As soon as he finished eating, Tachibana excused himself. “I have to finish approving vacation requests so I can fill in the duty roster and get it posted.”

Just as he was about to open the door, Haruhi said, “Thank you for all of your hard work, Tachibana. I don’t know what we would do without you.”

Tachibana gave her a smile and nod to assure her he had heard her.

Mitsukuni and Takashi sat quietly at the end of the table nearest the door. Mitsukuni was rubbing his forehead with one hand and pushing his lunch around the plate with his utensil in the other. Next to him, Takashi was picking at his lunch and casting worried glances at his cousin.

Setting down his utensil, Mitsukuni sighed. “I guess I just have too much on my mind right now. I have a huge chemistry test tomorrow. Takashi, could we head back to the apartment?”

“Okay, Mitsukuni,” Takashi answered.

As they rose to leave, the other Host Club members called out their goodbyes. Haruhi stood up and said to Suzume, “I’ll be right back.” She walked over to Mitsukuni and caressed his cheek. “You take care of yourself and don’t study too hard.” Then she kissed his forehead.

Haruhi turned to Takashi and the exchanged a silent conversation about Mitsukuni. They were both very worried. The headaches had been increasing and nothing seemed to help. She said, “You two will be joining us for dinner tomorrow night at the restaurant near your apartment, right?”

The cousins nodded in response.

Tamaki called out, “Remember, we’ll be at your apartment next weekend to celebrate your birthday, Mitsukuni.”

Mitsukuni smiled weakly and waved to acknowledge Tamaki’s comment as he opened the door and he and Takashi left.

<OHSHC>

Wednesday night at the restaurant, Shima, Kyoko, and Sachiko sat watching the Host Club, Kami, Toma, and Suzume indulgently. Sachiko said, “This is the happiest I have even seen Kami in the three years she’s been living with me.”

“I’m glad,” Kyoko replied. “Thank you for recognizing her and taking her in. I’d hate to think what would have happened to her otherwise.” She looked over to see Hikaru and Kaoru standing on either side of Kami with their arms wrapped around her, nuzzling her like a couple cats demanding attention. Kami was giggling and ruffling their hair.

As they were all relaxing around the table, Haruhi asked, “Hey, Suzume, would you be willing to tell us your story?”

Suzume looked thoughtful. “I suppose I could. It’s not a big deal.

“What do you mean ‘not a big deal’?” Tamaki demanded dramatically. “Orphaned, left destitute, force to fend for yourself in a cold, cruel world.”

“Is he always like this?” Suzume leaned over and asked Haruhi.

“Oh, this is nothing. He used to be sooo much more dramatic. And his mood changes could give you whiplash,” Haruhi offered with a smirk at Tamaki.

“Okay, okay,” Suzume said, relenting. “My father was significantly older than my mother and he died when I was seven. My mother used to tell me stories about him, especially about their courtship. She was the first woman who was strong enough to stand up to him and still gentle enough to fall in love with him. That strength was how she survived when he died of a heart attack and the vultures started circling. It was disgusting how many elite families were trying to coerce her into a marriage so they could take over the company.

“She got the last laugh on them. Not only was she able to keep the company running, she expanded it internationally. By the time she died in a freak elevator accident, she tripled the value of the company. During those eleven years, she trained me in every facet of the business. Each year she allowed me to choose a property that she would signed over me. Ten of the properties Rina stole were mine. I earned them!”

In an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, Kyoya murmured, “That is impressive. Ten properties before you were eighteen.”

Suzume looked at him and smiled. “Thanks for pulling me out of that tailspin. Anyway, when my mother died, Rina stepped in and took control of everything, even though she had no idea what she was doing. Claiming there was no room in the orphanages here in Tokyo, she shipped me off to Kyoto even though I was already aged-out of the orphanage system. Apparently she didn’t know that the Kyoto complex was one of mine.

“When Rina sold everything claiming it was for my upkeep and I got nothing, the manager took me on as assistant manager. He helped me work out how to finish my classes at Ouran so I could get my diploma. I was able to get a scholarship to University and earn my business degree. Then the manager that helped me retired and I became manager.

“Imagine my surprise when I was contacted about Rina and the theft of my family business. Even if all I could do was face Rina and show her she couldn’t break me. That would be reason enough to come.”

“We’re glad you did,” the twins chorused. “And thank you for looking out for Kami.”

“Toma, would you be willing to tell your story?” Takashi asked. “I remember staying in one of your family’s convention centers during a martial arts exhibition that was too large for any of our dojos.”

“Sure, why not,” Toma replied, shrugging. “My parents and two older siblings were in Hong Kong finalizing the purchase of a conference center. I didn’t accompany them because I was in the middle of finals. The investigation was inconclusive, but food poisoning was suspected. Rina showed up, shipped me off to Kobe.

“The orphanage didn’t have room for me but I knew the manager of my family’s baseball stadium. I spent a summer working there and he liked me. He took me in and gave me a place to stay and a part-time job. It wasn’t easy, but I kept my head down in public school and graduated. I still work at the stadium.

“Just like Suzume, I was surprised to be contacted about Rina and the theft. I figured that my family’s holdings were all gone, and I just needed to move forward with my life.”

“Rina’s actions were just plain criminal,” Mitsukuni stated. “Sending you away from your friends to places that had no room and then stealing everything from you.” 

Kyoko spoke up, “Especially in Miss Tsuchiya’s case. You two at least were old enough to be on your own and take care of yourselves with a little help. She was just eleven and that’s an age when classmates can be very cruel.”

Kami walked over and hugged Kyoko. “It’s okay. At least the orphanage in Osaka had room for me. Yes, my classmates and the others at the orphanage were mean. But at least you found me and took me to your sister.”

Next, Kami walked over and hugged Sachiko. “Thank you for taking care of me. Living with you has been a lot of fun. You taught me so many things I don’t think I would have learned otherwise.”

She giggled. “Of course, the funny thing is what Rina tried to steal from my family did her no good. The fragrance formulas kept in the safe were all missing a key ingredient. You had to know the code to make the fragrances right. That’s why they were available but they didn’t smell quite right. I have copies of all of them and I have the code so I’ll be able to start the company again.”

“Clever,” Hikaru and Kaoru said in unison. 

Kyoya said, “Suzume, when you get your properties returned, would you be willing to sell the one near the Hinan clinic to the Hinan family?”

Looking puzzled, she replied, “I suppose so. May I ask why?”

“I’ve talked to Toma about buying the hotel near the clinic to convert to a hospital,” Kyoya explained. “It would be prudent to have nearby housing for the hospital staff. It would also provide you with available cash to renovate other properties.”

“Sounds good. I’d be happy to, given all that the Hinan family has done for me…for us.” Suzume smiled and looked around the room.

“Well, it’s getting late and some of you have classes tomorrow,” Shima announced.

<OHSHC>

Late Friday afternoon, Mr. Naruse arrived at Hinansho with a big smile on his face and a heavy briefcase in his hand. “Hibiki, could you call Kami, Toma, and Suzume down?”

She smiled back as she picked up the phone. “Good news, I take it?”

Looking like the cat that ate the canary, he simply said, “I’m waiting until they get here. I want them to be the first to hear.”

A few minutes later, the trio arrived accompanied by Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki. Suzume stepped forward as the spokesperson. “You have news for us?” she asked.

Mr. Naruse set his briefcase on the desk by Hibiki and opened it. He pulled out three thick folders and looked at the tabs. “This one is yours,” he said, handing one to Suzume.

As she flipped through the folder, her eyes grew wider and wider. Suzume looked at Ryo in shock and asked, “Is this really all mine?” She looked through a few more pages and stopped. “Even the summer cottage? She didn’t sell it?” Closing the folder and clutching it to her chest, she covered her mouth this one hand and tried hard not to cry.

Tamaki stepped forward. “Suzume, please let me take you somewhere private so you can look through that. You can take your time.”

“Toma, this one is yours,” Mr. Naruse said, grinning.

He flipped it open and saw the list. “Yes! The property the Hinan family wants is here. This will be great. I can rebuild my family’s legacy.” Toma walked away, mesmerized by the documents in the folder.

“And this one belongs to you,” Ryo said, handing the final, and smallest, folder to Kami, smiling gently.

She looked back and forth between Hikaru and Kaoru before she reached out for the folder. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this. I was only eleven when Mom and Dad died.”

Wrapping an arm around her from each side, the twins said in unison, “You don’t have to make any decisions right now. Kyoya will be here for dinner. He should be able to give you some good advice.”

Kaoru turned to Mr. Naruse. “You will be staying for dinner, right?”

“I’ll be at dinner tonight, but I can’t stay right now. I have to get back to the office. Haruhi will be coming with me after her internship today,” Ryo replied, closing his briefcase and latching it. “See you in a few hours.”

<OHSHC>

That weekend, Atsuhiro drove Sachiko and Kami back to Osaka, Suzume back to Kyoto, and Toma back to Kobe. In the files they each received from Mr. Naruse, there was a list of lawyers and financial advisors that he had vetted as honest and reliable. They would help complete the sales of the hotel and apartment complex to the Hinan family so Suzume and Toma could start renovating their re-acquired properties.

The twins spent the weekend getting ready for Ageha and the Shido family to return on Tuesday.

Kyoya and Haruhi were finishing up final assignments for their online classes.

Mitsukuni and Takashi had family obligations.

Tamaki spent it with Dai and Miku learning about farming, much to Dai’s chagrin.

<OHSHC>

On Tuesday, Tamaki, Kyoya, and Haruhi rode to Hinansho with the twins so they would be on hand to welcome Ageha and the Shido family home from their trip. They sat together doing homework at a table in the lobby that gave them a clear view of the driveway.

As soon as they saw the car coming, they abandoned their homework and rushed out to greet the returning travelers.

Ageha was the first one out of the car and she ran straight past her brothers to Tamaki squealing, “Milord!”

Hikaru and Kaoru just stood there with bemused looks on their faces as they shrugged at each other.

Next to climb out were Hibiki and Masaya. They each grabbed one of Haruhi’s hands and were chattering at her a mile-a-minute about the trip and everything they saw.

Finally, exhausted Seiji and Fuyumi slowly exited the vehicle. “Where do they get so much energy?” Seiji groaned. “If we could bottle some of that, we’d make a fortune.”

Fuyumi replied, “No, we wouldn’t. We’d have to use all of it ourselves to keep up with them.”

Kyoya stepped forward and pulled his sister into a hug. Startled, but pleased, she hugged him back. “I am so glad you all have returned safely,” he said, his voice choked slightly with feeling.

“It was fun, but I’m glad to be back,” Fuyumi confessed.

Seiji patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder. “How did everything go here? I take it things worked out or you would have contacted us.”

“Things worked out very well. In fact, I have a business proposition I would like to talk over with you during dinner, if you don’t mind,” Kyoya replied.

“Give us a chance to freshen up after that long flight and we’ll meet you in the dining room,” Seiji acknowledged.

Kyoya glanced at his watch. “Dinner should be ready in an hour and a half. You two take your time, we’ll keep the kids occupied.”

Seiji and Fuyumi smiled tiredly. “Thanks, we’ll see you at dinner.”

An hour and a half later, everyone gathered in the small dining room. Seiji and Fuyumi looked much more relaxed after their kid-free rest.

While Fuyumi and the children regaled the other with stories of their trip, Seiji and Kyoya quietly discussed business.

“The Hinan family has purchased a hotel and an apartment complex near the clinic. I want to remodel the hotel into a hospital and renovate the apartment complex for staff housing,” Kyoya explained.

Seiji considered Kyoya’s plan. “That make a lot of sense. Do you know what contractors you’re going to use?”

“That’s part of what I wanted to talk to you about. I figured that, since your family is in medical equipment, you may know of reputable firms that we could get bids from,” Kyoya replied.

“I can do that, both for the hospital and the apartment complex,” Seiji said.

“Good.” Kyoya smiled, “I was also thinking about the Shido family’s situation. A lot of their contracts have been cancelled and the Otori Group is insisting on re-negotiate their contracts. It would not surprise me if the Otori Group was behind the cancelled contracts.”

Seiji huffed. “I wouldn’t put it past them.”

Kyoya grinned. “I think the Shido family should re-negotiate with the Otori Group, with conditions favorable to Shido. If the Otori Group won’t agree to them, they can cancel the contracts.”

“What good would that do?” Seiji asked worriedly. “That would just cancel the last of our business.”

Kyoya smirked. “But if you are willing to look beyond the Otori Group, there are a lot of new contracts waiting. The new hospital will need equipment and your family would be the best to supply that. Beyond that, I have personal holdings internationally that need upgraded equipment. That could be the first step in opening up the international markets and a greater customer base for the Shido family.”

Seiji was stunned. “I don’t know what to say. Why would you do this?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Kyoya replied, clapping him on the shoulder.

<OHSHC>

“Tachibana, thanks for driving us to Mitsukuni and Takashi’s apartment,” Haruhi said.

“Not a problem,” he replied. “What are the plans for the weekend?”

Haruhi frowned slightly. “Mitsukuni hasn’t been feeling well lately so we decided to celebrate his birthday with a weekend of pajamas and movies.”

“You’re worried about him?” Tachibana asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye while maneuvering the vehicle into the apartment complex parking lot.

“I am. He tries to tell us he’s fine and he refuses to see a doctor, but his headaches are getting more frequent,” Haruhi admitted.

As the rest of the Host Club grabbed the duffle bags and headed to the apartment, Tachibana grabbed four cake boxes and assured Haruhi, “Just do what you can and try not to worry.” 

“Thanks, Tachibana. I don’t know what we would do without you,” Haruhi said as she grabbed two more boxes and turned to follow the rest of the Host Club.

Mitsukuni flung open the door and exclaimed, “You’re here! I can’t wait to spend the weekend with you guys.” He was about to hug Haruhi when he noticed the boxes she was holding. “Are those cakes for me?” he asked giddily.

“Yes, Kairi sent six different cakes because he couldn’t decide which one would be best for your birthday,” Haruhi replied, smiling softly.

Tachibana set the four cakes he was carrying on the kitchen counter and announced, “You guys have fun this weekend. I’ll pick you up Sunday evening.”

After Tachibana left, everyone helped re-arranged the living room to make plenty of space for everyone to watch movies.

Tamaki pulled out a stack of DVDs from his duffle bag. “Look, I brought Overdrive, Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light, and Tatakau! Shoten Girl,” he babbled excitedly.

“Aren’t those chick flicks?” Hikaru taunted.

“Yeah--well, technical two of those are series,” Kaoru agreed.

Haruhi put a stop to the wrangling before it got out of hand. “Since it is Mitsukuni’s birthday, he should pick the movie.”

“Yay, then I want to watch Kaijuto no kessen: Gojira no musuko. Godzilla’s son is so kawaii in that one,” Mitsukuni said happily.

Haruhi smiled at Mitsukuni’s enthusiasm. “ _He has not been this happy in months._ ” “Takashi, has dinner already been ordered?” she asked.

“Yes. It should be here soon,” he replied.

Haruhi headed for the kitchen. “I’ll make tea and get dishes set out. Why don’t you guys change into pajamas and pick out your spots in the living room.”

Minutes later, there was knock at the door. Takashi answered it and took the food delivery into the kitchen.

“Okay, guys. Come grab dinner and we’ll start the movie,” Haruhi called.

After everyone was settled, they started the movie. The movie was cheesy and campy, but it made them laugh.

Giggling, Mitsukuni said, “This is my favorite part. Baby Godzilla is trying so hard, but instead of breathing fire, he can only blow smoke rings. He’s so cute!”

After the movie ended, Haruhi collected the dishes and took them into the kitchen to wash them. Takashi followed her, to dry and put them away. When they finished, Haruhi kissed him gently on the cheek.

Together they returned to the living room to find the other hosts debating what movie to watch next. 

“Let’s watch Overdrive,” Takashi suggested. “It looks interesting.”

Everyone agreed and got comfortable. Kyoya was sitting with his back against the sofa, so Haruhi snuggled into his side and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Then Mitsukuni crawled into her lap and whispered, “My head is starting to hurt. Can I cuddle with you?”

Haruhi smiled and kissed the top of his head. “Get comfortable and sleep if you can. Remember, this is your birthday weekend.”

Halfway through the movie, Takashi moved Mitsukuni to the sofa so Haruhi could get more comfortable.

By the end of the movie, Kyoya and Haruhi were asleep in one another’s arms. The rest of them could barely keep their eyes open so they decided to call it a night.

The next morning, the guys woke up to the smell of fresh pancakes.

“Wow, Haruhi, those smell great,” Mitsukuni praised.

“They’re ready, so let’s eat breakfast and decide what we’re going to do today,” she replied.

Finally, they decided to humor Tamaki and binge watch Tatakau! Shoten Girl.

Soon they were all caught up in the plot.

“Hey, guys,” Hikaru commented, “doesn’t the co-worker she has a crush on look a little like Mitsukuni?”

“Yeah,” Kaoru responded, “he does. Not only that, the other young male co-worker looks a little like Kyoya without glasses.”

“Wow, what a weird coincidence,” Tamaki marveled.

Kyoya commented, “Intriguing how the women have such innovative ideas to try to save the bookstore, but they are being sabotaged by the men. For a fluff piece, it certain has underlying social commentary.”

After the fifth episode, Takashi asked, “What should we have for lunch? If I call now, it should be here before we get too hungry.”

Haruhi protested, “I can make lunch.”

Mitsukuni interrupted, “It’s my birthday weekend and I want pizza. Takashi, you know which one is my favorite.”

Takashi ordered the pizza and it arrive before the episode ended. They ate pizza and finished the series.

Tamaki commented, “Kyoya’s right. There was a lot of social commentary behind the plot. Like the way everybody was making assumptions.”

Kyoya interjected, “There were some sound business ideas in there as well. The main characters use of her connections to set up publicity strategies was a stroke of genius.”

“Well, I guess chick flicks aren’t all bad,” Haruhi said. “The way girls always gushed over them made me avoid them completely. I guess it depends on how you look at it. I’m sure most of our guests in the Host Club would only see the young man with a crush on the older woman and the young woman with a crush on the young man. They would be going all ‘MOE’ over the love triangle.”

“Okay,” Mitsukuni interrupted, “this is supposed to be a fun movie weekend, not a philosophical discussion of the subliminal social programing in chick flicks.”

“So, let’s get back to having fun,” Tamaki announced.

<OHSHC>

The next month was full of school projects and research papers, not to mention the hospital remodel and apartment complex renovation. Kyoya hired a hospital administrator to begin recruiting doctors and staff for the new hospital. With a nearby apartment as part of the compensation package, the administrator could be selective in his hiring, accepting only the best fits for the positions.

Seiji agreed to act as point person for the Hinan family with the construction contractors so Kyoya could concentrate on his studies and graduation.

The twins and Ageha settled in to life as Hinans rather than Hitachiins. A month after the hearing, their grandparents took off on their next great adventure. They’d only stayed as long as they were needed to take care of all the legal paperwork for the Hitachiin name and fashion line. In honor of their mother, Kaoru and Hikaru decided to keep the Hitachiin name on the line even though they were now Hinans. 

The month of March flew by and suddenly it was April. The Host Club announced at Ouran that they were closed permanently. The twins were still recovering from the shock of losing their parents. Along with that, Mitsukuni and Takashi were busy at University and Kyoya and Tamaki were about to graduate. The Host Club simply couldn’t function the following year with just Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru.

<OHSHC>

Kyoya and Haruhi stood at the door of Tamaki’s apartment awaiting a response to their knock. Inside they could hear scuffling feet and quietly hissed exclamations. They looked at one another with puzzled expressions. Kyoya raise an eyebrow and Haruhi just shrugged.

Suddenly the door was yanked open by Tamaki. He bowed dramatically and said, “Please come in.”

The twins were smirking at the new arrivals from the sofa where they were sprawled like a pair of Siamese cats. “Look who arrived together,” Hikaru purred.

“Maybe they’re up to something,” Kaoru speculated in return.

“Knock it off, you two,” Haruhi said. “Kyoya picked me up from my apartment because you guys were already here. It didn’t make sense to have Atsuhiro come get me when Kyoya was headed here anyway.”

“Have Mitsukuni and Takashi arrived yet?” Kyoya inquired.

Tamaki answered absently, “Yeah. They’re dropping off their school satchels in their apartments. They’ll be…” He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Opening it, he said, “Now that Mitsukuni and Takashi are here, we can sit down at the table for dinner.

Once everyone was seated at the table, Tamaki announced, “Although I really wanted an elaborate costume ball for my birthday party, I decided to settle for a humble dinner with friends. We all have so much going on with final projects, exams, and graduation so let’s just relax and spend time together. After dinner, we will go to the Shido’s apartment for cake and presents.”

The friends chatted amicably as they ate the fine dinner Kairi had prepared. Though Haruhi noticed that Mitsukuni rarely joined into the conversations.

After dinner, they all trooped across the hall to the Seiji and Fuyumi’s apartment.

Tamaki was greeted by Ageha, Hibiki, and Masaya yelling, “Happy birthday!” Then they handed him a paper crown that they had made.

“Thank you so much,” Tamaki replied, kneeling down to gather the three into a hug. “You’ve made my birthday very happy.”

Fuyumi called out, “Stop blocking the door. Get in here so you can open your presents and we can have cake.”

Much like Kyoya’s birthday, most of the presents were investments. However, in Tamaki’s case they were stock for companies like Disney and Lego.

Haruhi watched as he opened the present from her. “I hope he doesn’t get upset that it’s basically a gag gift.”

Tamaki tore off the wrapping paper and eagerly opened the box. Inside was a jar of instant coffee, cup noodles, instant miso soup, oyakodon, pocky sticks, and rice crackers. Underneath all the food was a framed photo of the Host Club.

Hugging the box, Tamaki exclaimed, “It’s perfect! Thank you, Haruhi.”

“Now we can have cake,” Ageha declared. Everyone laughed and gathered around.

Seiji pulled Kyoya aside. “I want to thank you for all that you’ve done for the Shido family. My father told me about his meeting with your father for the contract re-negotiations.”

“How did they go?” Kyoya asked.

“About as well as you’d expect. My father presented him with reasonable contracts. Your father scoffed and presented his counter-offer contracts. The terms were insulting, at best. My father stood up, said, ‘Unacceptable,’ and walked out,” Seiji related, chuckling.

“I wish I could have seen the look on my father’s face, “Kyoya admitted.

“I thought you might say that.” Seiji handed him what was obviously a print from a security camera.

Kyoya smirked at the photo in his hand. “I will have to get this framed and hang it in my apartment here at Hinansho.”

“My father wanted me to pass along his thanks for all of your help. He’s already been able to replace all the contracts we lost, even the Otori contracts,” Seiji said. “Oh, the research and development group sends their thanks as well. Because of the international contracts, there have been requests for equipment to fit particular needs. When no such equipment exists, they get to think outside the box to create something new.”

“A fortuitous side-effect of branching out,” Kyoya replied.

Tamaki interrupted. “No more business talk. This is a birthday party,” he said, handing each of them a piece of cake.

Kyoya smiled and shook his head in exasperation as he took a bite of the cake. “ _Sometimes it’s hard to believe he’s my best friend_.”


	9. Mood Swings

Takashi walked silently next to Mitsukuni. “ _I know I might be a little late to statistics class, but I don’t dare let Mitsukuni head to chemistry class on his own. Satoshi texted me this morning that he and Yasuchika would be the nearby dojo this afternoon. I know how Yasuchika likes to spar with his brother and Mitsukuni was very moody this morning.”_ Takashi’s thoughts swirled as he glanced at his cousin storming along at his side.

The scowl on Mitsukuni’s face was so out of character that Takashi didn’t want to leave him alone. _“At least he should be okay during class, so I’ll be able to get to my own as soon as I drop him off.”_

They reached the science building and Mitsukuni muttered sullenly, “Okay, I’m here. Now you can stop worrying and get to your own class.”

Takashi hurried to his class in the business building and sighed quietly when he saw that the professor had not arrived yet. He’d just finished arranging his notebook and pen when the instructor entered and said, “Good morning class. Today we will be discussing standard deviations…”

<OHSHC>

Because Mitsukuni’s chemistry class was a two-hour block, Takashi headed to the library to pick up the books he had reserved for his research paper on Pearl Harbor for history class.

It took longer than anticipated because so many other students were also picking up reserved materials as well. When Takashi stepped out of the library, the first thing he saw was a crowd gathered near the science building. A cold feeling of dread washed over him as he moved quickly in that direction.

Just as he feared, Mitsukuni and Yasuchika were engaged in one of their battles, but there was nothing usual about this one. Satoshi sat on the ground behind Yasuchika wiping blood from his nose. Yasuchika’s expression was worried…or scared. Takashi wasn’t sure but it certainly was not his usual mocking condescension.

When Takashi caught a glimpse of Mitsukuni’s face, he knew he had to stop this fight. It was a mask of rage and hatred. He barely recognized his cousin.

Deftly slipping through the crowd, Takashi dropped his satchel on the ground next to Satoshi, who looked up at him in pure relief.

As Yasuchika backed away from his older brother’s onslaught of blows, Takashi could hear Mitsukuni muttering, “I’m tired of holding back. I’m tired of the unrealistic expectations. I’m tired of being censured for being true to myself. I’m tired of hiding who I really am.”

Each sentence accompanied a blow at Yasuchika’s body. Takashi smoothly moved to step between the brothers when he saw Mitsukuni’s hand make solid contact with Yasuchika’s left arm so hard it drove it into his ribs. Hearing the bones *crack*, Takashi grabbed Mitsukuni around the waist. He lifted him away from Yasuchika to prevent any further blows from landing.

Struggling to contain his furiously writhing cousin, Takashi ordered Satoshi, “Call emergency services for an ambulance and take care of Yasuchika. I’ll take care of Mitsukuni.”

“But…” Satoshi tried to protest as he saw the blood trickle from his older brother’s nose where Mitsukuni landed a punch.

“Do as I say,” Takashi grunted as Mitsukuni’s elbow connected with his solar plexus. “ _When his brother is out of sight, he should calm down_.”

Satoshi pulled out his phone to follow his brother’s orders, but his expression was worried as he saw the beating Takashi was taking. While completing the phone call to emergency services, Satoshi moved over to check on Yasuchika, who was holding his arm and breathing painfully through clenched teeth.

Slipping Takashi’s satchel under Yasuchika’s head, Satoshi said, “Just relax. Help is on the way.”

Yasuchika looked up through pain-clouded eyes and asked, “What happened? He’s never been like that before.”

Shaking his head sadly, Satoshi responded, “I don’t know. He even turned on Takashi. That’s never happened before.”

Chuckling, and then wincing in pain, Yasuchika explained, “Actually, it did happen once before when Mitsukuni had a cavity. But he held back then just as he usually does in our fights.” After a cough and another wince of pain, he added, “Something is wrong. Something is very wrong.”

Satoshi’s expression was grim as he answered, “I think you’re right. And that makes me worry even more about Takashi.” Hearing someone approaching, he turned his head to see the ambulance crew approaching. “I’d better call our parents so they can meet us at the hospital.”

<OHSHC>

Once they were around the corner of the science building and Yasuchika was out of sight, Takashi released Mitsukuni. Anticipating more blows, Takashi automatically assumed the proper stance to block an onslaught from his cousin.

“You had no right to interfere,” Mitsukuni growled. “I’m tired of being the good little boy and doing what’s expected of me.”

_“I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up,”_ Takashi thought as he blocked blow after blow. _“I don’t want to hurt him, not that I could really do much against him.”_

Mitsukuni’s monologue continued along with the blows. “Why don’t you all just leave me alone? I can’t meet all these expectations and I’m tired of trying.”

Suddenly the blows ceased and he glared at Takashi. Panting in rage rather than exertion, he ground out, “I’m going back to the apartment. I don’t want to see you.” He turned on his heel and stormed away.

All Takashi could do was stare at his cousin’s retreating back. “ _I’ve failed—Mitsukuni, Yasuchika, Satoshi. I’ve failed the families.”_ He stood there with his head down, drawing deep breaths. “ _What do I do now? Mitsukuni doesn’t want me at the apartment.”_

Just then, he heard a *ding* from his phone and saw a text from Satoshi.

*****Heading to hospital with Chika. Folks on the way there. I have your satchel.*****

Takashi pocketed his phone without sending a reply. “ _I don’t want to go to the hospital right now. I can’t face the families. I need to talk to someone…I’m not sure who, but someone. I need to think but Mitsukuni doesn’t want me at the apartment. I guess I’ll go for a drive.”_

Making his way to the parking lot where his car was parked, he thought, _“I’m glad Atsuhiro helped me buy a small, inconspicuous car so I don’t always have to call for the limousine_.” He unlocked the driver side door of a sapphire blue Toyota Yaris and slid behind the wheel. Without a specific destination in mind, Takashi pulled out of the parking lot and just started driving.

His thoughts were a jumble as he imagined the disappointed look on his father’s face. “ _I should have been there with Mitsukuni. I should have realized his lab could end early this late in the term. I failed Yasuchika and now he’s seriously hurt. Even Satoshi got hurt. I should have been there.”_ His spiraling thoughts were interrupted by a *ding* from his phone.

Even though the Bluetooth could read the message to him if he requested it, he chose to ignore the message. “ _It’s probably the family wondering when I’ll get to the hospital. I can’t face them yet. I’ve failed. I need to talk to someone…”_

Taking a deep breath, he considered his options. _“The twins are still coming to terms with the loss of their parents just two months ago. Even though Yoshio has relaxed his restrictions on Kyoya some, it would take too much explaining just to be able to get in to see Kyoya. Tamaki is too…boisterous to listen. I don’t want to bother anyone at Hinansho. They are all busy keeping everything running smoothly. I’m such a failure. I can’t even decide who to talk to.”_

Frustrated, he pulled into a parking lot, turned off the engine, and removed the key. Leaning his forehead on the steering wheel, he thought, “ _That hurts. Mitsukuni got in a few good hits and I’m starting to feel the bruises. Maybe there’s a park nearby where I can take a walk.”_

He climbed out of the car and locked the door. Observing the area, he realized that he had subconsciously packed in the lot next to Haruhi’s apartment building. “ _I shouldn’t disturb her. I’ll just go take a walk in the park across the street.”_

Takashi turned toward the park but paused and looked back over his shoulder. _“She would never turn me away. Look how she’s been there for Mitsukuni. Mitsukuni…I have to tell Haruhi what happened. Maybe she can help.”_

Taking a deep breath, he considered his options. Finally, he made a decision, pulled out his phone, and sent a brief text.

<OHSHC>

Satoshi sat in the waiting room with his head held in his hands. “ _I failed and Yasuchika and Takashi got hurt. How am I supposed to face Father and Uncle? They should be here any time now.”_

A nurse interrupted his tumultuous thoughts. “Are you sure the doctor shouldn’t take a look at you as well?” The bloody nose could be a sign of something more serious.” The concern in her voice obvious.

He shook his head. “It’s nothing. I’ve taken worse hits during karate and judo training. I’m just worried about my cousin.”

“He’s in x-ray right now, but the doctors don’t seem worried,” she replied, trying to calm his fears.

As she finished speaking, Yorihisa and Izumi Haninozuka stepped through the waiting room door followed closely by Akira and Asami Morinozuka. Seeing the nurse, Yorihisa stated, “We are here for our son, Yasuchika Haninozuka.”

Seeing his and Chika’s parents, Satoshi stood up in respect.

Smiling soothingly, she said, “He is in x-ray right now. I will let the doctor know that you’re here.”

After the nurse exited the waiting room, the four adults turned to Satoshi and Akira asked, “What happened?” His emotions were tightly controlled and Satoshi couldn’t tell if he was angry, worried…or both.

“After Chika and I finished working out at the dojo, he decided he wanted to go see his brother. Mitsukuni came out of the science building with his classmates. It sounded like they were discussing an assignment and trying to schedule study sessions for final exams. Chika challenged him as soon as they made eye contact. It sounded like Mitsukuni said, ‘I don’t have time for this.’ Since Mitsukuni was surrounded by his classmates, I grabbed Chika’s elbow to get his attention and suggest that now was not a good time.”

Satoshi sat back down in the chair. Taking a deep breath, he continued, “When he shook me off, his elbow connected with my nose hard enough to knock me off my feet and bloody my nose. Then Mitsukuni and Chika started trading blows. It didn’t take long for me—and Chika—to realize that this was different from any other match they’d had. Mitsukuni was not holding back in any way.”

He stood up and started pacing. “Just then Taka appeared and dropped his satchel next to me. Before he could step between them, Mitsukuni landed a solid blow to Chika’s left arm. I heard the crack from where I was sitting. Taka picked Mitsukuni up, carrying him bodily away from Chika, all the while telling me to call emergency services for an ambulance.”

Satoshi looked at the faces of the four adults. “I saw Mitsukuni land several solid blows before Taka carried him around the corner of the science building and I couldn’t see them anymore. There was blood on Taka’s face when I lost sight of them.”

His expression was pleading as he finished in a rush, “I didn’t know what else to do, but call you after I called emergency services.”

Gathering together, Yorihisa and Akira consulted quietly with their wives. Turning back to Satoshi, Yorihisa said, “Your mother and aunt will stay here with you to await news of Yasuchika. Your father and I will go to Mitsukuni and Takashi’s apartment and talk to them.”

Any further conversation was interrupted by a doctor who entered the waiting room and asked, “Are any of you here for Yasuchika Haninozuka?”

Gesturing to himself and Izumi, Yorihisa spoke up, “We are his parents.” Motioning for Akira and Asami to join them, he continued, “These are his uncle and aunt. The young man who accompanied him in the ambulance is his cousin.”

Smiling, the doctor informed them, “Yasuchika will be fine. He has a broken humerus and two broken ribs. It will take about six weeks for the breaks to heal but he’s young and healthy so there should be no complications.”

Satoshi sighed in relief, as did the four adults. The doctor continued, “You can take him home as soon as the arm has been casted and the ribs wrapped. I’m prescribing something for the pain, just in case he needs it.”

After the doctor left, Yorihisa said, “We’ll see you at the Haninozuka estate after we talk to Mitsukuni and Takashi.”

Remember the satchel sitting on the floor, Satoshi picked it up and handed it to his father. “Please see that Taka gets his satchel back. He will need it for school.”

<OHSHC>

Hearing a knock, Mitsukuni jerked open the door to the apartment and growled, “I told you I don’t want to see you, Takashi.”

“Is that any way to speak to your father?” Yorihisa demanded, more than a hint of steel behind his anger.

Sullenly, Mitsukuni responded, “Sorry, Father. I didn’t know it was you.”

“May we come in?” Akira asked bluntly.

“Yes, come in. Uncle. Father.” He gestured for them to enter. “ _I’d rather not be the center of any more campus gossip,_ ” he thought was he closed the door behind them.

It took all of Mitsukuni’s considerable control to contain the inexplicable rage coursing through his veins. “Please have a seat while I prepare tea,” he said through clenched teeth as he walked toward the kitchen.

After Yorihisa and Akira settled on the sofa, Akira called, “Where’s Takashi? From what Satoshi said, I thought he would be here with you.”

Carrying in the tray of tea items, Mitsukuni replied curtly, “I don’t know and I don’t care. I told him I didn’t want to see him and then I walked away. He probably drove to Hinansho to talk to Atsuhiro.” He sat down in the chair facing the sofa.

“Mitsukuni,” Yorihisa reprimanded, “that is no way to speak to your uncle, or any elder. Apologize.”

Glaring at his father, he barked, “NO! I’m tired of being the good little boy. I’m tired of trying to meet your increasing and unattainable expectations. I’m tired of having to keep such a tight control on my actions and reactions AT ALL TIMES! I’m tired of looking over my shoulder, wondering when Yasuchika is going to pop up and challenge me, calling it training. Why am I expected to train when I haven’t been allowed to compete in over five years?”

His father and uncle sat there in shock at his vicious words. Akira recovered first and rebuked, “Mitsukuni…”

“I’m not done yet! I had just come out of class and was discussing the homework with my classmates when he showed up…AGAIN. He looked at me with that condescending expression of his and sneered about how he was going to beat me this time. Given my size, it’s been hard enough to gain my peers’ respect here at University. He just keeps making it harder. Now none of my classmates will study with me and most of my peers are avoiding me.”

Mitsukuni stood up and started to pace back and forth like a cage panther. “I’ve tried to act more mature as you’ve demanded but, for all appearances, Takashi is babysitting me. He even walked me to class this afternoon. I’m fighting a losing battle and I’m not even allowed to fight to my full potential. I’m tired of it all. Just plain tired.”

He dropped back into the chair and rested his head in his hands.

Yorihisa stared at his oldest son. His voice was tight as he said, “Mitsukuni, thank you for explaining the situation. I will deal with Yasuchika. But right now we need to discuss what to do about the fact that you broke his arm and ribs.”

Mitsukuni’s head snapped up. “I did what?”

“Satoshi described the fight and, apparently, the one solid blow you landed before Takashi intervened, broke Yasuchika’s humerus and two ribs.” His father’s face was stern.

Stunned at the revelation, Mitsukuni said quietly, “I had no idea.” He stood up and bowed from the waist to his father and uncle. “I sincerely apologize for my actions today. I await your judgement as to reparations I must make.”

Mollified by Mitsukuni’s contrite attitude and confession, Yorihisa replied, “I will take this into consideration. You will come home this weekend to learn the nature of your punishment.”

“Yes, Father.”

Turning to Akira, Yorihisa said, “Let’s go talk to Takashi about the situation. You still need to return his satchel.”

When the two older men left and closed the door behind themselves, Mitsukuni collapsed onto the floor.

“ _I don’t understand. The rage that consumed me all day is suddenly gone, and I feel so…hollow, so alone,”_ he thought in anguish. Then he curled up in a ball and began crying softly.

<OHSHC>

Hibiki looked up as Yorihisa and Akira stepped up to the front desk at Hinansho. “May I help you, gentlemen?” she asked pleasantly.

“We’re here to see Takashi Morinozuka,” Yorihisa announced without preamble.

“I have not seen him today, but he may have driven straight to the garage and entered that way. Let me call Atsuhiro.” She picked up the desk phone and pressed the button for the garage extension.

“Hello, Atsuhiro. Have you seen Takashi today?” She paused and then replied, “Thank you,” and hung up the phone.

Addressing the two men, she said, “Atsuhiro said he will be right up to speak to you.”

Five minutes later, Atsuhiro entered through the door behind the desk.

Seeing the tense expressions on the two men’s faces, he said, “Sorry it took me so long, gentlemen. I wanted to check the whole garage to be sure Takashi hadn’t parked somewhere other than his reserved parking space.”

Akira asked, “Do you have any idea where he could be?”

“Well, if he isn’t at his and Mitsukuni’s apartment, then I’m not sure. He gave me a list of classmates that he studies with. How about I make some calls and get back to you?” Atsuhiro hedged.

Pulling out his wallet, Akira handed Atsuhiro a business card. “This has my home, office, and cell numbers. Please let me know as soon as you find him. Oh, and could you hold onto this for him?” He handed Takashi’s satchel to Atsuhiro.

“Will do, sir.”

Yorihisa tapped Akira on the shoulder. “I just spoke to Izumi. She said they’re all at the house waiting dinner for us.”

Turning back to Atsuhiro, Akira held out his hand. “Thank you for your help.”

Atsuhiro shook it firmly and replied, “I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”

<OHSHC>

Haruhi heard a *ding* from her phone, alerting her of a text message.

*****Talk F2F ASAP.*****

She looked at the sender’s name and almost panicked. It was from Takashi. The urgency, shorthand, and face-to-face meeting request all indicated an emergency. She quickly texted back.

*****Where RU?*****

Another *ding* and another brief message only increased her anxiety.

*****Door.*****

Haruhi hurried to the door and flung it open. There stood a very battered and bruised Takashi. Without a word, he stepped through the door and picked her up so he could bury his face in the curve of her neck.

_“Questions will have to wait,”_ Haruhi decided as she reassuringly ran her fingers through his hair in an effort to calm him. _“I’ve never seen him in this state before.”_

Takashi slipped off his shoes, leaving them neatly by the front door before he moved into the kitchen and sat down in a chair, shifting Haruhi onto his lap.

Ryoji came out of his bedroom and asked, “Who was…” He was interrupted by a look from Haruhi and the sight of the tall muscular young man trying his hardest to curl himself into a ball against Haruhi.

Seeing Takashi in this state shook Ryoji to his core and he silently indicated to Haruhi that he would leave them alone for now.

Takashi heard Ryoji’s voice and his troubled mind kept begging, “ _Please don’t ask me to leave. Please don’t take Haruhi away from me.”_

Haruhi could feel his distress through his grip on her. It was firm, but not painful. _“Even in such obvious distress, he’s taking care of me.”_ She placed a motherly kiss on the top of his head and began humming tunelessly as she continued to run her fingers through his hair.

Ryoji looked at Haruhi, pleading silently, “ _How can I help?”_

Continuing to sooth and comfort Takashi, she looked pointedly from Ryoji to the kitchen.

After looking between Haruhi and the kitchen in confusion, he finally understood. “ _She wants me to make tea. That I can do._ ” Despite the lack of space, Ryoji was able to enter the kitchen without bumping into Takashi or Haruhi.

“ _It breaks my heart to see him like this,”_ Ryoji thought as he went through the motions of making tea. “ _At least he trusts Haruhi enough to come to her for comfort_.”

Takashi flinched as Haruhi’s fingers grazed a small lump near his temple. “Oh, Takashi, I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” she exclaimed quietly.

“Not you,” he replied tersely.

“Let me get you an ice pack,” Haruhi suggested, trying to wiggle free of his hold.

Rather than release his hold on her, Takashi stood up and carried her across the kitchen to where Ryoji handed her a small towel.

“I’ll be in the living room if you need anything else,” Ryoji said quietly.

Haruhi directed Takashi to the refrigerator where she grabbed a handful of ice from the freezer and wrapped it in the towel.

After Takashi sat back down in the chair, Haruhi held the improvised ice pack gently against the sore spot on the side of his head.

“Feels good,” he murmured as he relaxed slightly as the pain eased slightly.

“Oh, Takashi, who did this to you?” Haruhi finally asked softly, pressing another gentle kiss into his hair. “ _This is so out of character for him. Not even when Mitsukuni was swept away at the Otori jungle resort did it affect Takashi like this.”_

Haruhi almost missed it when Takashi murmured, “Mitsukuni.” There was so much hurt and betrayal in his tone that it made Haruhi’s heart ache for him.

“Oh, Takashi.” All she could do was continue to rub his back and hold the ice pack in place, hoping her presence would reassure and calm him. “ _What could have caused this?”_ she pondered.

After a few minutes, Takashi took a deep breath and relaxed his hold on Haruhi. “ _What is it about Haruhi that just sooths me to my very core? I know she has feelings for Kyoya. I wish it was me but I won’t interfere with them. I’ll just keep my feelings to myself and do everything in my power to protect her._ ”

Haruhi watched Takashi’s tight expression relax little by little. “Do you want to move to the living room where it’s more comfortable?” she asked gently.

He nodded and then set her on her feet. She took his hand and led him to the living room where Ryoji sat contemplating the photo of Kotoko.

He looked up when they entered. “Would you like some privacy to talk?”

Sitting together on the sofa, Haruhi looked at Takashi questioningly. He considered for a moment and then replied, “Please stay. You may have useful insights.”

“Let me get the tea first,” Ryoji explained as he headed to the kitchen. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll be right back.”

Takashi settle on the sofa and Haruhi nestled in next to him. There was a comfortable silence as they waited for Ryoji to return with the tea.

“Here we are,” Ryoji chirped, handing mugs to Takashi and Haruhi. “Now, whenever you’re ready,” he said, patting Takashi’s knee with the hand not holding his own mug.

Takashi contemplated the mug dwarfed by his hands and hesitantly started to speak. “I first noticed last fall and it slowly got a little worse as time went on. Mitsukuni was getting moody. I attributed it to the course load at University. He’s a physical therapy major and I’m in accounting, so it could have been the difference in our schedules.” He paused to sip his tea.

He took a breath and continued, “But after what happened with the twins, it got worse. Everything seemed to irritate him. Haruhi, I don’t know if you noticed at Tamaki’s birthday party last week, but he avoided everyone most of the time we were at Hinansho.”

“I noticed but I thought he was studying for exams,” Haruhi admitted.

Taking another sip of tea, he gathered his thoughts. “I suspected something might happen when Satoshi sent me a text warning me that Yasuchika insisted on working out at the dojo near the University today.” Takashi went on to describe the events of the afternoon, beginning with walking Mitsukuni to Chemistry class and ending with Mitsukuni saying he didn’t want to see him.

“I just drove around trying to figure out what to do. I know I should have gone to the hospital to check on Yasuchika, but I couldn’t face our parents.” Takashi hung his head and murmured, “Satoshi and Yasuchika got hurt because I failed.”

He sat his cup on the small table at the end of the sofa and slid down to sit on the floor so he could lay his head in Haruhi’s lap as he had seen Mitsukuni do when he was upset or needed comfort.

Haruhi positioned the ice pack on the sore spot again as she threaded her fingers through his hair.

Ryoji watched the tableau in silence, contemplating what Takashi had just told them. “ _That’s a heavy load on such young shoulders, no matter how strong he may be._ ”

Suddenly Haruhi’s head popped up and she stared at the opposite wall. “ _He said, ‘I failed.’ But Mitsukuni was not the one who got hurt_.”

She thought back to the time at the Otori jungle resort when they ‘found’ Mitsukuni. Other than the one guard fended off by Takashi, Mitsukuni had taken on—and taken out—all of them. Then she remembered the stories she had been told, cautioning her about Mitsukuni’s temper when he was awoken before he was ready. And then there was the incident with the cavity. All the pieces were dropping into place.

“ _Oh...OH…OH_!” she murmured as she had an epiphany. “ _I’ve had their relationship backwards this whole time. Takashi has not been there to protect Mitsukuni. Takashi’s vigilance had been to protect others from Mitsukuni if he were ever to lose control_.”

Haruhi looked down at the dark-haired young man resting his head in her lap so trustingly. “ _He’s carried such a burden_.” As she continued to run her fingers through his hair, she felt his weight shift slightly as he relaxed into sleep.

Ryoji walked over and touched Haruhi on the shoulder. She startled slightly and looked up questioningly. “Should I bring out pillows and blankets so we can shift him into a more comfortable position before your legs go numb?”

She smiled. “Thanks, Dad. That’s a good idea.”

While Ryoji was collecting the bedding, Haruhi heard a soft *ding* nearby. Checking her phone, she found no new messages. “ _It must be Takashi’s phone.”_

When his phone *dinged* again, Takashi lifted his head and looked around in confusion. He saw Haruhi and smiled softly, though it was tinged with sadness.

A third *ding* from his phone drew his attention. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and looked at the sender’s name. Frowning, he turned off his phone and placed it on the small table next to his unfinished mug of tea. He then pulled out his keys and wallet, placing them beside the phone.

Before Haruhi could ask who the text was from, Ryoji returned with an armload of bedding and dumped it on the floor next to the sofa. “Haruhi, why don’t you go start dinner? It’s getting late.” His voice softened as he turned to Takashi and said, “Would you like to get cleaned up? You have some blood on your face and hands.”

Takashi stood up, looking sheepish. “Sorry.”

Ryoji smiled and placed a hand gently on his arm. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. You’ve had a hard day. Take your time cleaning up. Dinner should be ready when you come out.”

Haruhi stretched her legs out and then held out a hand, silently requesting Takashi’s assistance to stand up. “Dad’s right. You go get cleaned up and then we’ll have dinner,” she said, gently caressing his face and then handing him the ice pack.

Takashi headed to the bathroom as Haruhi and Ryoji went to the kitchen. “Any ideas for dinner?” Ryoji asked.

“Thankfully I went shopping today and sanma was on sale. If I remember correctly, that’s Takashi’s favorite. It can steam with the rice while I make a salad and some miso soup.” Haruhi opened the refrigerator and pulled out the package of fish.

“Then I will leave it in your capable hands. I have to get ready for work.” Ryoji waved over his shoulder as he walked down the hall to his bedroom.

Haruhi made the salad and then tidied up the kitchen as she waited for the soup to warm and the rice and fish to steam. With the salad chilling in the refrigerator, all she had to do was set the table. She was almost done when her phone rang. She saw on the caller ID that it was Atsuhiro.

“Good evening, Atsuhiro. Is anything wrong at Hinansho?” she asked.

“No, not here. Do you know where Takashi might be? His father and uncle are getting worried because they can’t get hold of him. He’s not responding to texts and calls go straight to voicemail.” Atsuhiro sounded a little too calm to really be worried.

“I know where he is and that he’s safe,” Haruhi hedged.

“Are you willing to share?” Atsuhiro teased.

“I will leave that up to him. Did his father and uncle say why they’re looking for him?” she responded, sidestepping the inquiry again.

Atsuhiro sighed. “Apparently there was a confrontation between Mitsukuni and his younger brother today. I didn’t get all the details, but the younger brother has a broken arm and two broken ribs. He’s fine and will recover in due course. They also mentioned that Mitsukuni was throwing punches at anyone within reach when Takashi carried him away. Now Takashi’s missing.”

Just then, Takashi walked into the kitchen and looked at Haruhi questioningly. She held the phone away and covered it to muffle the sound. Answering his unspoken question, she whispered, “It’s Atsuhiro. Your father and uncle stopped by Hinansho looking for you because they couldn’t contact you directly. All I’ve told him is that I know where you are and that you’re safe.”

Takashi nodded, picked her up, sat down in the kitchen chair, and placed her on his lap. Then he buried his face in her neck again.

She kissed the top of his head and said, “I’ll tell him to pass along the message that you’re safe and you’ll contact them tomorrow. Okay?”

“Okay,” he responded without lifting his head.

Putting the phone back to her ear, she returned to her conversation with Atsuhiro. “Can you just tell them that he’s safe and he’ll contact them tomorrow?”

“I can do that. Oh, tell him that his father brought his satchel and left it with me here at Hinansho.” He sounded relieved as he suspected that Takashi was there and Haruhi was taking good care of him.

Haruhi replied, “I’ll pass along the message and talk to you later. Dinner is almost ready so it needs my attention.”

“Okay. Good night, Haruhi.”

“Good night.”

Haruhi ended the call and put her phone on the kitchen table. Rubbing Takashi’s back in gentle circles, she whispered, “Yasuchika will be fine. He has a broken arm and two broken ribs but they’ll heal. Your father left your satchel with Atsuhiro at Hinansho.”

“Thank you for not telling them where I am. I just can’t face them right now,” he mumbled into her neck.

“I understand. But now I have to take care of dinner or it will be inedible,” she teased.

Reluctantly, Takashi set Haruhi on her feet. She caressed his cheek and then moved around the kitchen to dish up dinner.

Ranka entered the kitchen with a dramatic flourish. “How do I look?” She twirled around and posed.

“You look great, Dad. And you’re right on time. Dinner’s ready,” Haruhi chuckled.

The trio ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

“ _I hope JJ doesn’t call in sick again. I’m not sure I’m up to covering her closing shift…again. Especially when she comes in the next day wearing an expression like the cat that ate the canary. Sick, my foot, she’s ditching work for a date. And the owner hasn’t said anything to her about it, just asks me to cover. Hmm, I wonder if the owner is the one JJ is dating. That would explain soooo much.”_

“ _I wish I knew how to help Takashi. He looks so…lost right now. Like his world has suddenly shifted and he’s not sure where to find solid footing.”_

“ _Satoshi and Yasuchika got hurt because of me. I should just go home and face my punishment.”_

Ranka finished eating and she said, “Haruhi, I may have to work later than usual, so don’t worry and don’t wait up.”

“Okay, Dad. Is it alright if Takashi stays? I don’t want to send him away after the day he’s had.” Haruhi looked at her dad hopefully.

“No,” Takashi stated. “I should go home. I don’t want to cause any more trouble.”

“None of that,” Ranka said firmly. “In fact, I would feel better knowing that you’re here with Haruhi tonight.”

Haruhi looked at Ranka with a grateful expression. Laying a hand on Takashi’s arm, she said, “I would feel better too, if you were here.”

Takashi looked back and forth between the two and sighed in resignation. “Okay. Since my family knows I’m safe and will contact them tomorrow, I’ll stay.”

Ranka stood, settling her dress into place and patting her hair. “Now that that’s settled, I’m off. Don’t stay up too late.”

After Ranka left, Haruhi and Takashi cleared the table in silence. “ _Did I offend him? It was rude of me to be so demanding about him staying,_ ” she wondered as she drew sinks of hot water and started washing dishes.

Without a word, Takashi stepped up beside her, rinsing, drying, and putting away the dishes as Haruhi washed them. “ _I’m glad they insisted I stay. I can’t go back to the apartment yet and I don’t want to go home. I could go to Hinansho, but the families would look for me there_.”

After finishing the dishes, Haruhi wiped down the table, counters, and sink. “Why don’t you go make yourself comfortable on the sofa? I’ll be right in.”

He nodded and left the kitchen. Sitting on the floor instead of the sofa, he closed his eyes and began to contemplate the events of the day. “ _I know ‘if onlys’ and ‘I should haves’ are unprofitable. The past cannot be changed, but lessons can be learned_.”

In the kitchen, Haruhi wrapped a couple handfuls of ice in a towel. She noticed that Takashi was on the floor rather than the sofa. “ _That will make it easier to apply the ice pack,”_ she thought.

Before she settled on the sofa, Haruhi knelt on the floor in front of Takashi. Sensing her presence, he opened his eyes and gave her a questioning look.

“Um, I need to apologize. Dad and I shouldn’t have pressured you into staying.” She twisted the towel in her hands. “If you’d rather go, it’s okay.” She bowed her head and waited for his answer, even if he just got up and left.

After a moment, his finger slid under her chin and raised it so he could look her in the eye. “Thank you for being here. Thank you for caring. Especially caring enough to insist that I stay.” His thumb wiped away a tear that escaped.

She smiled weakly and held up the ice pack. “I thought your head might be hurting again so I brought another ice pack.”

“Thank you.” He reached for it but she stood up and took a seat on the sofa. “Just lay your head on my lap and I’ll hold the ice pack in place.”

Anticipating her gentle touch, he did as he was bid. “ _She is gentle and caring. She’ll make a good mother one day.”_

After about twenty minutes of comfortable silence and contemplation, Haruhi removed the ice pack. “It’s starting to drip. Should I get a fresh one?”

“No, my head feels better now.”

“Okay, let me take care of this.” She walked into the kitchen, dumped the remaining slivers of ice in the sink, wrung out the towel, and hung it up to dry. Just as she finished, she heard a *ding* from her phone. The text was from Mitsukuni.

*****Please call.*****

Without giving it a thought, she dialed his number. He picked up after the first ring. “Haruhi, do you know where Takashi is?” he asked frantically.

“It’s okay, Mitsukuni. I know where he is and I know he is safe and well. How are you? I hear you had a rough day.”

“Oh, Haruhi, it was awful. I just felt so angry and I don’t know why. I just couldn’t control my temper.” The fear and desperation in his voice was obvious.

“What can I do to help?” Waiting for a response, she walked into the living room and mouthed to Takashi, “It’s Mitsukuni.”

He gestured for the phone. She held up a finger and said, “Mitsukuni, would you like to talk to Takashi?”

“Can I? Is he there?” he asked hopefully.

“Let me hand the phone to him.” She handed the phone to Takashi and walked back into the kitchen to give the cousins some privacy.

Takashi’s voice was low and soothing as he said, “I’m here, Mitsukuni.”

“Oh, Takashi. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m so scared. I was so angry and I don’t know why.” His voice faltered.

“I’m here for you. What do you need?” Takashi asked gently.

“Taka, I feel so alone. I don’t know what to do. I said some awful things to Father and Uncle. I hurt Yasuchika and Satoshi…and you,” he whimpered.

“We can get through this together,” Takashi assured him. He had an idea, so he stood up and walked into the kitchen where Haruhi was trying to occupy herself.

“Just a minute, Mitsukuni. I want to ask Haruhi something.”

Haruhi looked at Takashi questioningly. “ _I guess he wants to leave to be with Mitsukuni. That’s okay. I’ll be fine,”_ she thought.

“Haruhi, can we go to the apartment to be with Mitsukuni? He really needs us,” Takashi almost pleaded in worry for his cousin.

Surprised that he wanted her to go too, she replied, “Let me leave Dad a note. Then I’ll gather a few things and we can go.”

He smiled softly and said, “Thank you. You don’t know how much this will mean to him…and me.”

In less than five minutes, Haruhi gathered her school uniform, comfortable pajamas, an extra change of clothes, and her satchel with schoolbooks, keys, and wallet. “ _That should do. It’s just overnight. When Takashi is finished with my phone, I’ll text Atsuhiro to bring Takashi’s satchel tomorrow morning early enough to drive me to school_.”

“Ready,” she said quietly, not wanting to interrupt the conversation between the cousins.

Takashi turned to look at her and smiled. Into the phone, he said, “Here she is.” Then he handed the phone to Haruhi.

Mitsukuni sounded so small when he said, “You’re really coming?”

“Yes, I am coming, Mitsukuni. Don’t worry, we’ll help you through this,” she responded soothingly.

“Will you keep talking to me during the drive? Please?” he begged.

“Of course I can. Let me give Takashi my satchel and duffle, then we can head out to the car,” Haruhi said, matching deeds to words.

Takashi took the items she handed him and they headed out the door of the apartment. Takashi stopped just outside the door, pulled Haruhi’s key out of her satchel and locked the door. After checking to be sure the door was secure, he led Haruhi to where he’d parked his car.

Opening the cargo compartment, he place Haruhi’s bags in and closed it securely. Then he opened the passenger door for her and assisted her in because she was still talking to Mitsukuni on the phone.

Walking around to the driver’s side, he opened the door and slid in. He started the car and headed toward the apartment and Mitsukuni. “ _We’ll be there soon_ ,” he thought with relief.

<OHSHC>

“We just pulled into the parking lot,” Haruhi assured Mitsukuni. “It will just be a few more minutes. Hold on, it will be okay.”

Takashi whispered, “You go on ahead. I’ll grab your things and be right behind you.”

Haruhi nodded in acknowledgement and continued listening to Mitsukuni on the phone.

Soon she was knocking on the door to the apartment and Mitsukuni flung it open, almost tearing it off its hinges.

“You’re finally here,” he declared, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her inside.

Since the phone was no longer necessary, she ended the call. Freeing her hands by shoving the phone into her pocket, she returned Mitsukuni’s hug. “Shh, we’re here. It’s going to be okay,” she murmured softly, kissing the top of his head and running her fingers through his hair.

Takashi came in and placed Haruhi’s bags by the front door. He stood there quietly, allowing his cousin to get the comfort and attention he needed from Haruhi.

When Mitsukuni noticed Takashi, he let go of Haruhi and lunged at him. Takashi caught him easily as Mitsukuni babbled, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”

Takashi patted his back and softly assured, “All is forgiven. Think nothing of it. It’s all in the past.”

After a few minutes, Mitsukuni caught his breath and whispered, “Thank you, Taka.” Then he got a horrified look on his face as he noticed the cuts and bruises on Takashi.

Seeing the expression on Mitsukuni’s face, Takashi realized that guilt was overwhelming him at the evidence of what he had done. Takashi stated firmly, “All is forgiven. Not another word.”

Chastened, Mitsukuni agreed reluctantly. “Oh, Takashi, this weekend we’ll have to go to the Haninozuka estate because Father is going to pronounce the punishment for my actions today.”

“Don’t worry. I will be there with you,” Takashi assured.

Haruhi stepped up and wrapped her arms around them as best she could. “It’s been a tough day. How about we change into pajamas and get some sleep?”

“Will you hold me?” Mitsukuni asked tentatively.

“Of course I will,” Haruhi said, smiling. “I just need to send a text to Atsuhiro to bring Takashi’s satchel in the morning early enough that he can also drive me to school.”

“While you’re doing that, I’ll get changed,” he replied.

After sending the text, Haruhi turned to Takashi and asked, “Do you have a charger I could use for my phone? I forgot to pack mine.”

“No problem,” he responded, opening a drawer in the kitchen and pulling out a cord. When he handed it to her, he had a pensive look on his face.

“Thanks,” she said, taking the cord and plugging in her phone. Then she turned around and asked, “Is something wrong?”

“Can I sleep with you two as well?” he asked, avoiding her question.

Haruhi’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “I figured we’d all be sleeping together. What’s up?”

Takashi sighed. “You know how Mitsukuni can be if he is woken up unexpectedly. And now these mood swings make him unpredictable. I’m worried about you getting hurt.”

Haruhi stepped forward and caressed his cheek. “You want to be sure you’re there to protect me, right?”

The corner of his mouth raised slightly. “Yeah…”

He was going to say more but Mitsukuni came bounding out of the bathroom and announced, “It’s your turn, Haruhi.”

She gave Takashi a look that said, “We’ll talk more later,” as she grabbed her duffle and headed into the bathroom.

When she came out, Mitsukuni motioned for her to follow him while Takashi went into the bathroom.

“Let’s get things set up on Takashi’s bed. It’s bigger,” he declared, pulling pillows and blankets out of the closet. Before they could arrange anything, Mitsukuni mumbled, “I can’t keep my eyes open.” Then he climbed into her lap, wrapped his arms around her, and fell asleep.

Takashi came in a few minutes later, stopped in the doorway, and took in the tableau before him. Haruhi was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Mitsukuni and humming tunelessly while she rubbed his back. “ _That young woman will make a wonderful wife and mother someday,”_ he thought longingly.

When she finally noticed him leaning on the doorframe watching them, she blushed. “He couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer,” she explained sheepishly.

“It’s been quite a day,” Takashi allowed. “Let me get things arranged and then I’ll move you to a more comfortable position.

As he arranged pillows against the headboard and moved blankets and more pillows within easy reach, he had a thoughtful look on his face. When he was satisfied with the configuration, he turned off the light and picked up Haruhi and Mitsukuni, taking care not to wake his cousin.

His years of kendo practice were evident in his strength and balance as he settled against the headboard and situated Haruhi on his lap. Pulling pillows and blankets into place, he made them all comfortable.

Haruhi saw Takashi look down at Mitsukuni with a worried look on his face.

“Takashi?” she whispered.

“Hmm?” he hummed in reply.

“Are you worried about him?” She chewed her lip as she waited for his response.

Takashi sighed. “When we go to the Haninozuka estate this weekend, I’m not sure what Uncle will have in mind as an appropriate punishment. He can be very…strict with him at times.”

“You don’t think he’ll hurt him, do you?” she pleaded.

“Not physically,” he admitted, “but he will probably require isolation and mediation. You’ve seen how he’s been this past year. He needs us—you especially.”

“No pressure on him then,” she muttered sarcastically. “You two have finals next week on top of all that.”

Takashi kissed her temple. “Thank you for caring. We should probably get some sleep. Tomorrow will be here before we know it.”

“You’re right. Good night,” she murmured as she settled Mitsukuni more securely on her lap and snuggled into Takashi’s chest.

“Good night,” he whispered as he felt her relax into sleep and he tightened his grip slightly to keep her secure.


	10. Finding Equilibrium

Takashi tried to read while he waited from Mitsukuni to get home from his last class, but he simply couldn’t focus. “ _I wonder what Uncle has planned for Mitsukuni._ ”

He heard a *ding* from his phone. It was a text from his father.

*****ETA?*****

Suppressing the urge to huff in annoyance, Takashi sent a reply.

*****M’s class ends in 15 minutes. Leaving within 30.*****

Frustrated at his inability to concentrate on homework, Takashi packed his satchel and set it by the door. Then he sat down on the living room floor and tried to clear his mind and find his center. He was unable to clear his mind because thoughts of Haruhi kept intruding. Ironically, those thoughts made him feel more centered and at peace.

Takashi opened his eyes when he heard the door open. Mitsukuni stepped in, looking completely exhausted. “I really don’t want to go home this weekend. I have so much studying to do,” he sighed.

“I know. I don’t want to go either but Father already texted me about when we’ll get there,” Takashi replied.

“Let’s just get it over with,” Mitsukuni said dejectedly. “It’s time for me to face the music.”

The drive to the Haninozuka estate was extremely quiet because the cousins were lost in their own thoughts.

“ _It’s not a matter of ‘if’ Father sends me away for work on self-control, it’s a matter of when I have to leave and how long he will require me to be there. If he makes me leave right after finals and stay more than a week, I’ll miss Takashi’s birthday. That will be the first time that’s ever happened_.” Mitsukuni’s thoughts continued to whirl in an incoherent maelstrom.

Takashi tried to keep his mind on his driving, but he couldn’t help worrying about Mitsukuni. “ _This has been a rough year and he needs help more than he needs punishment._ ”

As soon as Mitsukuni and Takashi walked in the front door, they were met by their parents and siblings. Yorihisa and Akira stepped forward and Yorihisa said, “Mitsukuni, we will begin the weekend with your apologies.”

Mitsukuni stepped forward and bowed from the waist. “Father, I sincerely regret my actions and disrespectful attitude.”

Next, he turned to Akira. “Uncle, I am sorry for my discourteous words at the apartment.”

Then he turned to Yasuchika and said, “I should not have lost control and injured you.”

Finally, he bowed to the group and said, “I repent of my insolent behavior that has brought dishonor upon myself and our families.”

Yorihisa nodded once and responded, “Your apologies are acceptable. This weekend you will spend your time in the meditation room concentrating on self-control and discipline. Meals will be brought in. You will be allotted time for sleep and studying.

“Yes, Father,” Mitsukuni replied dully.

“Arrangements have been made for you to spend seven weeks at a temple,” Yorihisa said. “You will receive additional training in control and discipline. You will leave as soon as you complete your last final this week.”

Mitsukuni sighed. “Yes, Father.” He hung his head to hide his desolate expression. “ _I guess I will be missing Takashi’s birthday this year_.”

Akira stepped forward and stated, “Takashi, you will spend this weekend in the dojo contemplating diligence and attentiveness. As with Mitsukuni, meals, sleep, and studying will be included in your regime this weekend.”

“Yes, Father,” Takashi intoned.

Before dismissing everyone, Yorihisa said, “Thankfully Komitsuzawa has not gotten wind of this and published something scandalous in that newspaper of his.”

Mitsukuni and Takashi surreptitiously looked at each other and thought, “ _That’s right, no one knows that he lost the newspaper to the Hinan family_.”

<OHSHC>

Takashi walked out of the classroom after he completed his last final. Looking at his watch, he thought, “ _Mitsukuni should finish in a half hour or so. I’ll go wait for him outside the science building_.”

As soon as he saw the crowd gathered outside the science building, a cold wave of dread washed over him. Takashi wound his way smoothly through the crowd, hoping against hope that it was not Mitsukuni.

Just as he feared, his cousin lay on the ground at the center of the crowd. A young woman knelt by his side, checking him over methodically.

Takashi dropped to his knees opposite her and asked, “Has anyone called emergency services?”

A voice from the crowd responded, “I called them about five minutes ago.”

“Thanks,” Takashi said absently.

The young woman said, “We had just finished our final and headed out when he collapsed. I can’t find anything wrong.”

Takashi smiled tightly, “Thank you for looking out for him.” Before he could say anything more, emergency services arrived and directed everyone to move back.

“You need to move back to give us room,” one of the attendants ordered Takashi.

Reluctantly he moved from his cousin’s side to allow him to receive the help he needed. While he watched the attendants care for the unconscious Mitsukuni, he sent text messages to Mitsukuni’s parents as well as his own. Then he sent a message to the other Host Club members.

After Mitsukuni was moved to the gurney, one of the attendants asked, “Does anyone here know who he is and how to contact his family?”

Stepping forward, Takashi answered, “I am his cousin. His parents have been notified and are on their way to the hospital.”

“If you want to accompany him, please come along,” the attendant said. “You can give me his vital statistics.”

Takashi picked up Mitsukuni’s satchel as well as his own and followed the attendants as they guided the gurney to the waiting ambulance.

During the short ride to the hospital, Takashi watched his cousin intently. “ _What could be wrong? Why hasn’t he woken up yet?_ ” He answered all the attendant’s questions without taking his eyes off Mitsukuni.

At the hospital, a nurse directed the attendants, “Take him to bay 4. The doctor is waiting.” To Takashi, she said, “The waiting room is right through there. Please have a seat and the doctor will come out when he has news.”

Reluctantly, Takashi watch Mitsukuni being wheeled away, wanting so much to follow and protect his cousin. Instead he turned and made his way to the waiting room.

There were three people in the room, each deep in their own thoughts. “ _Probably waiting to hear about someone close to them_ ,” Takashi thought absently. Before he could decide whether he wanted to sit, stand, or pace, Yorihisa and Izumi arrived and headed straight to the nurses’ station.

“We were notified that our son, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, was brought in,” Yorihisa stated.

The nurse checked the computer and replied, “Yes, the doctor is with him now. The waiting room is through there. I will inform the doctor that you are here. He will come see you as soon as he can.”

“Thank you,” Yorihisa said tightly, leading Izumi through the indicated doorway.

As soon as they walked in, they saw Takashi. “What happened?” his uncle demanded.

“I do not know.” Takashi admitted. “I had just finished my last exam and was headed to wait for Mitsukuni outside the science building. His final exam should have lasted at least another half hour, but he was already on the ground outside and one of his classmates was with him. By the time I finished sending the texts, emergency services had arrived.”

Akira and Asami entered the waiting room while Takashi was explaining the situation to his uncle and aunt. Before he could continue his explanation, the doctor entered the waiting room and asked, “Who is here for Mitsukuni Haninozuka?”

“We are his parents,” Yorihisa responded with his arm wrapped around Izumi. “ _This is the second time in a week that we’ve been standing in a waiting room waiting for a doctor to tell us what’s wrong with our son._ ”

“Mr. and Mrs. Haninozuka, I am Dr. Yang. Your son has been sent down to have an MRI. We are not sure at this time what is wrong, so I have ordered a number of tests to narrow down the possibilities,” the doctor explained.

Takashi stepped forward and addressed the doctor, “Excuse me, ma’am.”

“Yes?” Dr. Yang replied.

“Mitsukuni has been having trouble with headaches and mood swings a lot during this past year. Could those symptoms help you narrow it down?” Takashi offered.

“Thank you. That information is useful.” Dr. Yang turned back to the parents and said, “As soon as your son is settled in a room, I will have a nurse take you to him.”

Izumi replied quietly, “Thank you for taking care of our son.” Dr. Yang nodded to acknowledge her and then left the waiting room.

In the ensuing quiet, there were a series of rapid *dings* from Takashi’s phone. He checked the senders and they were all from the Host Club. Before he could open any of them, his father demanded, “What are those about?”

“It’s just the other Host Club members checking to see if there is any more news about Mitsukuni,” Takashi replied.

“This is their fault,” Yorihisa growled. “If they had not encouraged him to indulge his whims rather than practicing self-control, Yasuchika would not have been injured last week. I wouldn’t be surprised if today’s episode was brought on by those same indulgences.”

Akira added, “You need to start distancing yourself from the Host Club. You are in University now. You have no time for such childish games.”

“The Host Club disbanded. After the death of the Hitachiins in London, none of us felt up to playing the parts,” Takashi admitted.

“Then why do you still spend so much time with them?” Akira demanded.

Takashi set his jaw to hold his temper. “They are still our friends.”

Asami stepped in and said quietly, “This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion. Akira, you and Yorihisa have a meeting in half an hour that you cannot miss. You need to leave now to be there on time.”

“You are correct on both counts,” Akira admitted. “This discussion can wait, but the meeting can’t. Let’s go Yorihisa.”

Izumi whispered, “I’ll text you as soon as I hear anything.”

Yorihisa nodded in acknowledgement as he and Akira headed for the exit.

Izumi and Asami settled into chairs and prepared to wait patiently until either the nurse came to take them to Mitsukuni’s room, or the doctor came back with more information.

Takashi wanted to call and talk to his friends, but he didn’t think his mother and aunt would approve. Instead, he sat down to wait as well. “ _I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose my friends, but I also don’t want to oppose my parents or Mitsukuni’s_.”

After an hour of waiting, Takashi asked, “Would you like me to go to a nearby restaurant to get some lunch for you?”

Asami replied with a small smile, “I don’t know about lunch, but I would like some tea.”

“I would like some tea as well,” Izumi added.

Takashi bowed his head and said, “I will be back soon.” He headed out the door and down the block to the restaurant that the Host Club frequented.

When he stepped through the door, the maître d’ recognized him right away. “How may I serve you today, Takashi?”

“I would like a take-out order of three fish bento and three cups of tea,” he stated.

“That will take just a few minutes. Please feel free to have a seat while you wait.” He gestured to the chairs in a nearby alcove.

Takashi stepped into the alcove a sat down in the furthest corner. While he waited for his order, he called Haruhi.

She answered on the first ring. “Takashi, I’ve been so worried. You didn’t respond to my text and then the others called me because you didn’t respond to theirs either. What’s wrong? How bad is it?” The worry was evident in her voice.

“Sorry. I couldn’t answer right away. I only have a few minutes before I head back to the hospital. I’m at that restaurant we like getting bento and tea for my mother, my aunt, and myself,” Takashi explained.

“I can tell by your voice that something is wrong. Tell me what you can, and I’ll pass it along to the others,” Haruhi said softly.

Takashi sighed. “Mitsukuni is getting an MRI right now. The doctor doesn’t know yet what’s wrong, so they are running tests. The reason I didn’t respond to the emails was because Father and Uncle seem to think Mitsukuni’s condition is the fault of the Host Club. They’re even blaming them for Yasuchika’s broken bones. They want Mitsukuni and me to distance ourselves from you guys.”

“Oh, Takashi,” Haruhi breathed, the anguish choking in her voice.

Before he could say anything more, the maître d’ brought out his order. “I have to go, Haruhi,” Takashi said sadly. “Pass the word around that I will get you more information on Mitsukuni as soon as I can. You guys probably shouldn’t come to the hospital to see him, given how our parents are feeling about the Host Club right now.”

Haruhi huffed. “I understand, but I don’t like it. I want to be there for you and Mitsukuni. I’m sure the others would feel the same way.”

“I know,” Takashi murmured and then ended the phone call. Paying for the order, he headed back to the hospital.

Asami and Izumi thanked Takashi for the tea and set the bento aside for later. They had just finished their tea when a nurse walked up and asked, “Mrs. Haninozuka?”

Izumi stood up and replied, “Yes?”

“Your son is in his room now. I’ll take you there.”

Asami and Takashi stood up as well and collected their things. Then the three followed the nurse as she led them the Mitsukuni’s room. “The doctor will be here in a few minutes,” the nurse said as she left the room.

Izumi sat down in the chair next to the bed and picked up Mitsukuni’s hand. Asami stepped up behind Izumi and put her hands on Izumi’s shoulders, offering comfort. Takashi walked around to the other side of the bed, taking up a stance like a sentry.

They all turned to look when they heard the door open. The doctor stepped in and said, “I have news about your son’s condition.”

“How serious is it?” Izumi asked cautiously.

“The MRI found a tumor near the pituitary gland. I check your son’s medical records and they show that the tumor was first discovered when he was eight. Nothing was done at that time because it was less than one centimeter in diameter. His short stature and late development are symptoms of the tumor, but it would have been more dangerous to remove it than to leave it in place and monitor it,” the doctor explained.

Izumi responded, “Yes, I know about the tumor. He has had scans at his check-ups every year and there has been no change.”

Dr. Yang frowned. “I regret to inform you that that is no longer the case. During the year since his last scan, the tumor has doubled in size. It is now two centimeters in diameter. It is putting pressure on the hypothalamus, which is lowering his inhibitions. I believe that is what cause the incident that I treated your younger son for last week.”

“But what about his collapse today?” Izumi questioned. “Why hasn’t he woken up yet?”

“As I said, the tumor had doubled in size and is putting pressure on the areas of the brain surrounding it. He did wake up in the examination bay, but we had to sedate him for the MRI. He should be waking up soon,” Dr. Yank assured her.

“Thank you,” Izumi said as she looked back at her sleeping son.

Asami asked, “What happens next?”

Dr. Yang’s tone was serious. “He needs surgery to remove the tumor. Whereas there was more danger in removing it than leaving it before, that this no longer the case. His behavior will continue to deteriorate, and other problems could arise.”

Taking a deep breath, Izumi responded, “I will need to speak to my husband about this. How soon will you need to know?”

“I don’t want to wait more than a week before scheduling his surgery,” Dr. Yang replied. “I need to see to other patients, but the nurses will know how to contact me if you have any questions.”

“Thank you,” Asami said as she walked to the door with the doctor.

“ _A brain tumor_ ,” Takashi thought. “ _And he’s lived with it for years_.” He was stunned at the revelation and started to pull out his phone to do some research but decided against it. His mother and aunt might think he was texting the Host Club and that was a touchy subject right now.

He watched his mother pull out her phone and send off a text. Almost immediately after she hit *Send* the phone rang. Asami held a whispered conversation that lasted barely a minute. After she ended the call, she walked over to Izumi and said, “They are on their way. The meeting went smoothly and finished early so they should be here in about fifteen minutes.”

Walking over to the bed, Asami looked down at Mitsukuni. Then she laid a hand on Izumi’s shoulder and said, “It will all work out.”

They were all startled by a moan from the bed. Then Mitsukuni mumbled, “Did anyone get the plate number of that truck that hit me?”

Izumi exclaimed, “You’re awake!”

Mitsukuni held his head. “Yeah, but my head is killing me.” Then he looked around, confused. “Mother, what are you doing here? For that matter, what am I doing here?”

Takashi stepped forward. “Apparently you collapsed just after leaving your last exam. One of your classmates stayed with you and another called emergency services. I walked out of my last exam to find a crowd by the science building and you at the center of it. I sent texts to our parents and accompanied you to the hospital.” Completing his recitation, he stepped back to his place as sentry

“Do you remember anything?” his mother asked.

Mitsukuni frowned. “I remember that the professor decided to give us a short final. I packed everything in my satchel and started to head to the business building to meet up with Takashi. When I stepped outside, the ground started to whirl. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the exam room.”

Asami said, “Your father and uncle will be here soon. They are on their way back from a meeting.”

“Will the Host Club be here soon?” Mitsukuni asked. “I need Haruhi.”

“Your father has decided that the Host Club is no longer welcome. If they hadn’t encouraged you to indulge, none of this would have happened,” his mother stated.

“First he makes me give up sweets and Usa-chan. Now he wants me to give up the Host Club,” Mitsukuni complained. “What’s next? Is he going to cancel my marriage contract with Reiko?”

“That is enough,” Izumi ordered. “You will respect your father and his wishes.”

“Very well. I’ll just rest my eyes until he and Uncle get here,” Mitsukuni murmured dejectedly as he laid back down on the pillow.

Izumi took a deep breath and asked, “Takashi, would you go get some more tea? I’m sure we could all use some.”

“Yes, Aunt, of course,” he responded with a slight bow.

The walk to the restaurant helped his organize his whirling thoughts. “ _Mitsukuni has a brain tumor and needs to have surgery. I’ll call Haruhi while I’m waiting for the tea and ask her to have Kyoya research it. Since it’s an Otori hospital, maybe he knows a way to get the Host Club in to see Mitsukuni without our parents finding out_.”

When Takashi entered the restaurant, the maître d’ said, “Back again? You’re almost never here twice in one day. What may I do for you?”

“Six cups of tea, please,” Takashi answered. “Are any of the private dining rooms available this evening?”

Checking his tablet, the maître d’ responded, “Why, yes, two of them are available. Would you like to reserve one?”

Takashi considered for a moment. “Yes, please. My parents, uncle, and aunt will be needing a quiet place for a serious discussion as well as dinner. I’ll point them in this direction.”

The maître d’ made a note on his tablet. “I look forward to serving the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families this evening.”

While Takashi waited for his order, he made a phone call. “Haruhi, the doctor figured out what’s wrong with Mitsukuni. He has a brain tumor near the pituitary gland.”

Haruhi drew a sharp breath. “Oh, Takashi. I wish we could be there for you guys.”

“I do too,” he admitted. “Would you have Kyoya do some research on those types of tumors?”

“Of course,” Haruhi said. “Is there anything else you need?”

“ _I need you_ ,” he thought longingly. He responded, “This is an Otori hospital. Maybe Kyoya can bring you in to see Mitsukuni while our parents are at dinner this evening. I made arrangements at our favorite restaurant for them to have a private dining room.”

“I’ll call Kyoya right away and see what he can do,” Haruhi said. “Hopefully, we’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks.” He ended the call and pocketed his phone just as his order arrived. He paid for the tea and headed back to the hospital.

When Takashi arrived at Mitsukuni’s room, he found his father and uncle were there. He handed around the cups of tea and sat one beside Mitsukuni’s bed. “While I was getting the tea, I made arrangements for you to use a private dining room at the restaurant. It is one that Mitsukuni and I frequent.”

Akira looked at his eldest son. “That was very thoughtful of you. We do need a meal and a private place to discuss all of this. Will you remain here with Mitsukuni when we head to dinner in half an hour?”

“Of course, Father,” Takashi replied as he returned to his self-imposed sentinel station. He examined his cousin from a distance, and everything seemed to be fine. Apparently, he had drifted off to sleep while Takashi was getting the tea.

Yorihisa and Akira briefed Izumi and Asami on the meeting, reporting the topics of discussion and outlining next steps in the project. Takashi was focused on his cousin but listened to the four adults talking quietly.

The business conversation concluded when Yorihisa said, “Well, that settles that. Now I think we need to go to dinner.” He picked up a folder off a nearby counter and continued, “We can discuss the doctor’s diagnosis and treatment options while we’re there.”

“ _Apparently the doctor returned while I was getting the tea_ ,” Takashi mused.

Izumi was reluctant to leave her son’s side, but Yorihisa insisted that she needed food and they all needed to discuss Mitsukuni’s situation.

“Would you like us to bring something back for you?” his mother asked.

“Not necessary. I still have the bento I picked up earlier today,” he replied, indicating the three containers on a tray behind him.

<OHSHC>

Haruhi wasn’t sure how she felt after her phone conversation with Takashi. “ _Mitsukuni has a brain tumor. No wonder he’s been having headaches and not acting like himself,_ ” she thought as she placed a call to Kyoya.

He answered immediately. “Have you heard something more?” he asked.

“Yes. Mitsukuni has a brain tumor near the pituitary gland. Takashi asked me to have you research those types of tumors. He also wanted to know, since it’s an Otori hospital, if you could sneak us in to see Mitsukuni,” Haruhi said.

Haruhi could hear muffled talking and then Kyoya said, “Excuse me, Haruhi, my father wants to see me in his study right away. I’ll call you back as soon as I can.” Then he ended the call.

“ _I hope nothing is wrong. I really want to see Mitsukuni and Takashi tonight_ ,” Haruhi thought as she stared at her phone before slipping it into her pocket.

<OHSHC>

“You wished to see me, Father?” Kyoya asked as he entered his father’s study.

“I just received a report from one our hospitals that your friend Mitsukuni Haninozuka was admitted today. You will go and make sure everyone knows that he is treated like a VIP and is given the best care,” Yoshio stated. “We need to keep strong ties with the Haninozuka family. The car is already waiting for you.”

Kyoya bowed and said, “Yes, Father.”

The chauffeur was holding the door and Kyoya paused before climbing in. “Please stop by the Fujioka apartment on the way to the hospital.”

“Yes, sir,” the chauffeur said stiffly as he closed the door.

Minutes later, the car stopped near Haruhi’s apartment building. “Wait here, I’ll be right back,” Kyoya called as he got out of the car and strode up to Haruhi’s door.

She opened the door at his knock, surprised to see him standing there.

“My father ordered me to go to the hospital to be sure Mitsukuni gets VIP treatment. I figured you would be the best person to make sure that happens,” Kyoya said with a smirk.

“Let me grab my bag and leave a note for Dad,” Haruhi called over her shoulder, smiling broadly.

Within minutes they were on their way to the hospital. Kyoya was researching tumors on his laptop while Haruhi snuggled into his side, seeking comfort. Absentmindedly, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

When the chauffeur opened the door after they reached the hospital, Haruhi moved quickly away from Kyoya. “ _I would rather not have it get back to Yoshio that a commoner is getting overly familiar with his son_.”

Kyoya hid a smirk at Haruhi’s action but understood that she was wary around anyone from the Otori household that was not Kyoya, Fuyumi, or Tachibana. “You may return to the estate. I do not know how long it will take me to complete my errand to my father’s satisfaction,” he said to the chauffeur as he escorted Haruhi toward the front doors of the hospital.

He walked up to the front desk and stated, “My father has tasked me with making sure Mitsukuni Haninozuka is treated as a VIP.”

“Of course, Otori-san. Haninozuka-san is in Room 357,” the nurse reported after checking the computer.

“Thank you,” Kyoya responded as he took hold of Haruhi’s elbow and led her to the correct bank of elevators.

During the ride up, Kyoya whispered, “Given what Takashi told you about their parents’ current opinion of the Host Club, please wait at the nurses’ station while I check to see if they are in the room with him.”

Haruhi just nodded in response, stepping closer both to hear what he was saying and to take comfort in his presence. “ _I don’t like hospitals. Even though it has been years since Mom died, the smell is still the same and it brings back so many bad memories_. _For Mitsukuni’s sake, I can endure it.”_

When the elevator opened, Kyoya led Haruhi to the nurses’ station and continued down the hall to Mitsukuni’s room.

Takashi heard a light knock on the door. He expected the doctor or a nurse coming to check on Mitsukuni. He was surprised to see Kyoya open the door and stride over to the bed.

After glancing at the sleeping young man, Kyoya turned his attention to Takashi. “How is he?”

Takashi sighed. “He woke up for a few minutes but then he drifted off again. Haruhi got the message to you?”

“She did,” Kyoya chuckled, “just before my father called me to his office and ordered me to come to the hospital to make sure Mitsukuni gets VIP treatment.”

The corner of Takashi’s mouth turned up slightly. “Ordering you to do what you wanted to do anyway. That’s a first.”

“How soon will your parents be returning?” Kyoya asked.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Takashi replied, “They left about ten minutes ago. They went to dinner at the restaurant we like. I reserved a private dining room for them.”

“Good,” Kyoya stated. “I’ll be right back.”

Before Takashi had time to wonder where Kyoya was going, he was back…and he had Haruhi with him.

She walked immediately to the bed and gently caressed Mitsukuni’s face. His eyes fluttered open and he whispered, “Are you an angel?”

Too overcome with emotion to say anything, she just kissed his forehead and ran her fingers through his hair. Mitsukuni visibly relaxed under her ministrations.

After placing another kiss on his forehead, she walked around the bed and wrapped her arms around Takashi’s waist.

At first, he was too stunned to respond. Then, realizing it was not a dream, he picked her up and buried his face in her neck. “You’re here. You’re actually here,” he whispered, holding her gently.

Kyoya stood near the door watching Haruhi with the cousins. “ _Amazing. She walks into a room and the tension level drops almost immediately. I should be jealous of them, but all I am is proud of her_.”

Mitsukuni struggled to sit up in bed. Takashi set Haruhi back on her feet and stepped over to the bed to help his cousin sit up.

“Thanks, Takashi.” Mitsukuni settled into a sitting position and patted the bed next to him. “Please sit with me, Haruhi.”

Smiling, Haruhi sat on the bed. “So, how are you feeling?” she said as she brushed hair out of his eyes.

“I’m scared. The tumor has gotten bigger and it’s causing problems, but Father insists that surgery is unnecessary,” Mitsukuni said, his voice trembling slightly.

Takashi was shocked to hear that nothing was going to be done about the tumor. “ _They must have discussed this while I was at the restaurant getting tea._ _I can’t believe that after what happened last week, Uncle would oppose the surgery_.”

Kyoya was stunned at what Mitsukuni had just said. “ _Even with the little research I did during the drive, I realize how dangerous the tumor is. How could his father deny treatment?_ ”

Being careful of the IV in his arm, Haruhi pulled Mitsukuni into her lap and held him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her neck. She hummed tunelessly and rubbed his back as he cried in fear and frustration. Takashi stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the pair of them. Kyoya walked over to the bed and wrapped his arms around from the other side.

The four friends clung to one another for several minutes. Then Takashi looked at the clock and said, “Haruhi, you and Kyoya should leave soon. Our parents should be returning from dinner and they would not be happy to find you here.”

Stepping back, Kyoya asked, “Which doctor is in charge of treatment?”

Takashi reluctantly released his hold, stepped back, and answered, “Dr. Yang.”

“Haruhi, let’s go talk to Dr. Yang,” Kyoya suggested.

“Okay,” she responded, settling Mitsukuni back on the bed. She kissed his forehead and caressed his cheek.

Next, she hugged Takashi before pulling his head down to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for coming,” he murmured as she stepped away.

“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” Kyoya said as he and Haruhi left the room.

As they walked down the hall, Haruhi could tell that Kyoya was agitated by the brisk pace he set.

After a few minutes, Kyoya led Haruhi into an empty staff lounge. He pulled her into his arms and growled, “I cannot believe Yorihisa would say the surgery is unnecessary. What little I’ve read today convinces me that it is imperative.”

Realizing that he was shaking with barely contained rage, Haruhi rubbed his back and whispered, “I know how you feel. It’s just not fair to Mitsukuni.”

They stood like that for several minutes before Kyoya was able to take several deep breaths and get his anger under control.

“Let’s go talk to Dr. Yang,” Haruhi suggested.

“That’s a good idea,” he replied. “Now that my anger is under control, I should be able to have a civil conversation.”

Kyoya led Haruhi to the administrative offices for the hospital. He asked the receptionist, “Is Dr. Yang available?”

“One moment, Otori-san. I’ll check,” she replied. She pulled up information on her computer and then made a phone call.

“She is finishing her rounds and she’ll meet you here as soon as she’s done. Please have a seat while you wait,” the receptionist offered.

They had not been waiting long when Dr. Yang came in and said, “You wish to see me?”

“Yes,” Kyoya responded.

Dr. Yang waved for them to follow her. “Please come to my office where we can have some privacy.”

After Dr. Yang was seated behind her desk and Kyoya and Haruhi sat down in the chairs offered them, Dr. Yang asked, “How may I help you?”

Kyoya sat forward in his chair. “It is concerning Mitsukuni Haninozuka. He is a friend of ours.”

“I am only granting this audience because your family own this hospital. I do not divulge my patients’ information to just anyone—even friends.”

“Good to know,” Kyoya replied. “Is it true that his parents refused to allow him to have surgery for the tumor?”

“I take it your friend has talked to you about his condition and his family’s decision,” Dr. Yang said dryly.

“Yes, he did. What is your recommendation for his treatment?” Kyoya asked.

“He needs surgery as soon as possible. The best surgeon is no longer in the Otori hospital system, however. She recently took the job of head surgeon at the newly established Hinan Hospital,” Dr. Yang explained.

Suppressing a chuckle, Haruhi asked, “Since Mitsukuni is nineteen, would he be considered competent to make his own decision in the matter of surgery?”

Dr. Yang pondered for a moment. “He is in that gray area between eighteen and twenty-one, but I would say his choice would be upheld in court if challenged because it is his health at stake. The bigger question is who would pay for the surgery. Since his parents oppose it, they won’t pay for it.”

“Is he stable enough to transfer to another facility?” Kyoya asked.

“Certainly,” Dr. Yang replied. “I’m really only keeping him here overnight for observation because he collapsed so suddenly.”

“One more question,” Haruhi stated. “Could the brain tumor be used to question his competence in legal matters?”

“No, it may interfere with his inhibitions, but it in no way impairs his higher reasoning functions,” Dr. Yang replied.

Kyoya and Haruhi shared a look. “The Hinan family would be the best answer,” Haruhi ventured.

“I concur,” Kyoya replied. “We just need to convince Mitsukuni.”

“The state we just saw him in, I don’t think it will take much convincing,” Haruhi commented. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he brings it up himself the next time we see him.”

Dr. Yang sat quietly listening. “ _They seem to have some plan in mind. Maybe they’re going to ask the family that owns the Hinan hospital to cover the cost or allow them to cover it. He is an Otori after all_.”

The phone rang and Dr. Yang answered it. “Yes?” After listening to the caller for a moment, she said, “I’ll be right down.”

She hung up and address the two teens, “Mr. and Mrs. Haninozuka have asked for a conference with me before they leave for the night. You know, I checked on your friend just before I came back to my office. The improvement in him was significant and his cousin said it was because of your visit.”

“Please don’t mention that to his parents. They recently took a dislike to us, blaming us for Mitsukuni’s condition,” Haruhi asked urgently.

“I’m sure they are just distraught after all the health scares in their family this past week,” Dr. Yang replied. “But I assure you, I won’t mention your visit.”

“Thank you for your time and your discretion,” Kyoya said sincerely. “We’ll let you get back to your patients.”

He and Haruhi stood and shook the doctor’s hand.

“Haruhi, how about I take you out to dinner while we wait for an opportunity to see Mitsukuni?” Kyoya asked.

“I would like that very much,” Haruhi said with a smile.

After they left, Dr. Yang headed down to Mitsukuni’s room. “ _Time to talk to the Haninozukas_.”

She knocked on the door, waited a moment, and then walked in. “Good evening. You wish to speak to me, Mr. Haninozuka?”

“Yes,” Yorihisa said. “I need to know when my son will be released. He has obligations and responsibilities. He was supposed to leave tonight for an extended assignment. I was able to get a delay, but I need to know exactly when he will be released so I can give them a definitive date.”

Dr. Yang responded, “He needs to at least overnight for observation. I’ll know better tomorrow after the results of the rest of the tests come back.”

“Very well,” Yorihisa stormed. “We are leaving for the night, but Takashi will remain. We will see you tomorrow morning.”

“Until tomorrow then,” Dr. Yang allowed.

After the Haninozukas and Morinozukas left, Dr. Yang asked, “How are you doing, Takashi? You don’t mind spending the night here, do you?”

“I prefer to be with my cousin,” he answered.

Smiling, Dr. Yang said, “I notice how much better you were both feeling after the visit from your friends. Would you like them to visit you tonight?”

“Parents won’t allow it,” Takashi murmured.

“Be that as it may, do you want them to visit tonight?” Dr. Yang pressed.

“Yes,” was Takashi clipped answer.

“How about you, Mitsukuni? Do you want them to visit?” The doctor smiled at him encouragingly.

“I would love to have Haruhi here. It would be nice to have Kyoya, Tamaki, and the twins as well,” he admitted.

The doctor smiled and said, “I happen to know that Kyoya and Haruhi went to dinner. Why don’t you call them…?"

Her comment was interrupted by a knock at the door. After a brief pause, Kyoya opened it and looked inside. “Is the coast clear?’ he asked.

Mitsukuni perked up. “Is Haruhi with you?”

“I’m right here,” Haruhi said as she slipped past Kyoya, walked to the bed, and wrapped him in a hug.

Dr. Yang stood off to the side, quietly observing the four friends. “ _There are some very intriguing dynamics here_ ,” she thought, bemused.

Mitsukuni clung to Haruhi as she rubbed his back and murmured comforting words. When he finally relaxed, she released him. “What do you need?” she asked gently.

Mitsukuni took a deep breath and addressed Kyoya, “Are all of the documents in order for me to remove myself from the Haninozuka family registry and add me to the Hinan family?”

“ _Whoa! That is not what I expected when they were talking about the Hinan family being the best answer_ ,” Dr. Yang thought.

“Of course,” Kyoya answered. “That was one of the scenarios were worked through last summer.” Kyoya gave Haruhi a significant look. She smirked back at him.

“Would you have Tachibana bring them? Tonight?” Mitsukuni pleaded. “I was supposed to leave today for a seven week stay at a temple for training in discipline and self-control. I don’t want to go.”

Haruhi ran her fingers through his hair to calm him. “Do you think your father will still send you, given your collapse today?”

Mitsukuni shuddered. “Father is set against the surgery and I think he will check me out of the hospital tomorrow morning to send me off to the temple, no matter what the doctor says. I really want the surgery. I don’t like the person I’ve been becoming because of the tumor.”

Kyoya pulled out his phone. “I will call Tachibana right away.”

Before he could initiate the call, Haruhi interrupted. “Could you have him let Tamaki into Mitsukuni’s apartment to get Usa-chan?”

“I get to have Usa-chan here?” Mitsukuni asked excitedly. “Can Tamaki and the twins come, too?”

Kyoya, Takashi, and Haruhi exchanged a look. Kyoya said, “I think it would be a very good idea for us all to be here to support you through this.”

Stepping over to a quiet corner, Kyoya made the call.

While Kyoya was on the phone, Haruhi turned to the doctor. “Do you think you could have a couple air mattresses, some pillows, and blankets brought in?”

“I suppose…” she replied hesitantly. “May I ask why?”

“In stressful situations like this, we’ve found it more conducive to rest if we’re all sleeping together. Nothing inappropriate, just sleeping,” Haruhi explained.

“Well,” Dr. Yang said, “studies have shown that humans and wolves are very similar. You have obviously established your pack and are protecting a member who is vulnerable right now.”

“Hmm, that would be a good topic for a research paper,” Haruhi said absentmindedly.

The doctor chuckled. “I’ll have those things brought in and let the nurses know that you all are allowed in here even though it is after visiting hours. Doctor’s orders.”

Haruhi smiled brightly. “Thanks for all your help.”

Takashi walked up behind Haruhi and said, “Thank you, Dr. Yang.”

“You’re welcome. Now I’m off to make the arrangements.” She smiled and closed door.

Kyoya finished his phone call and motioned for them to gather around Mitsukuni. “The paperwork and the others are on their way. I also asked Shima to contact the hospital about preparing for Mitsukuni to transfer there tomorrow.”

Mitsukuni sighed. “Thank you, Kyoya. You don’t know how much this means to me.” He grabbed Haruhi and Takashi’s hands. “I don’t know what I would do without you guys.”

Haruhi reached around Kyoya’s waist the took hold of Takashi’s hand. “We’re here for you, no matter what.” Takashi and Kyoya nodded in agreement as Takashi squeezed Haruhi’s hand and Kyoya wrapped his arm around her waist.

They remained like that for a few minutes until the door burst open and Tamaki exclaimed, “Okaa-san, I brought Usa-chan, just like you asked.”

Kyoya pinched the bridge of this nose, shook his head, and said, “I told you to stop calling me okaa-san.”

Tamaki looked at his best friend with a puzzled expression. “I wasn’t talking to you, otou-san.” Then walked over and handed Usa-chan to Haruhi.

Sighing, Kyoya thought, “ _I will never understand him, best friend or not_.”

“Tamaki, thank you for bringing Usa-chan. Mitsukuni has had a rough day,” Haruhi said giving Tamaki a quick hug before taking the pink bunny to the young man in the hospital bed.

Tucking Usa-chan under his arm, Mitsukuni called, “Come here everyone, I need a group hug.”

Laughing, the other six hosts gathered around, happy to oblige.

Tachibana stood in the doorway, leaning on the frame. “ _This past year has been incredible. I’ve known Kyoya most his life. When he started school, the twins and the cousins became peripheral members of his life. Then Tamaki invaded his world three years ago and suddenly their three worlds started orbiting each other, thanks to the Host Club._

“ _Then two years ago, Haruhi appeared and somehow she merged those three worlds into one and created the family that Tamaki was searching for. Funny what started out as an obligation to be the security guard for the third Otori son as evolved into being more like a doting uncle of these kids_. _And I couldn’t be happier_.”

The group hug broke up and Kyoya approached Tachibana. “You were able to find the correct folders?”

“Of course,” he replied, handing over two file folders. “Shall I go to the administration area and get a notary?”

“Good idea,” Kyoya said, not looking up from the papers he was flipping through. After a brief pause, Kyoya looked Tachibana in the eye as stated, “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Unsure how to respond, Tachibana nodded and headed out to complete his errand.

Kyoya watched him go and then took the two files over to the hospital bed. “Here is the paperwork, Mitsukuni. Tachibana went to get a notary,” Kyoya said, handing him one of the files.

Opening it, Mitsukuni started looking through the papers. “Okay, I need to sign these forms to withdraw my name from the Haninozuka family registry.” He paused and took a deep breath.

Haruhi put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s a big step, Mitsukuni. Are you sure this is what you want?”

He looked up at her seriously, “I need the surgery and the only way to do that is defy my father. Defying my father will mean leaving the family. Either he will disown me, or I’ll have to disown myself. I prefer to do this on my terms.”

“Then we’re behind you all the way,” Haruhi replied.

Pulling her into a tight hug, he whispered, “Haruhi, I am just so thankful that you created the Hinan family as a safe haven. It’s so much easier to make this decision knowing I have someplace to go.”

While Mitsukuni and Haruhi were talking, two orderlies arrived with the air mattresses, pillows, and blankets. “Dr. Yang told us these were needed here,” one of them said.

Tamaki bounded over. “Bring them right this way,” he said, waving to the corner. “Hikaru, Kaoru, come help me get things set up.”

While the trio was busy creating a bed for the night, Kyoya approached Takashi. “Could we talk for a minute?”

Puzzled, Takashi nodded and followed Kyoya as he led him to a quiet corner. “ _Is he jealous of the attention Haruhi has been showing to Mitsukuni…and me?”_

Kyoya handed the second file to Takashi. “I had Tachibana bring your file as well. You may not need it but there is no way to predict how your parents will react when Mitsukuni withdraws from his family so he can have the surgery. I know you are your own person and will make your own decisions. I just wanted to be sure you had the tools you need just in case.”

Takashi looked at the file in his hand and then at the young man standing in front of him. “I don’t know what to say. I guess I figured you would have me filling out the same paperwork at the same time since we’ve always done things together. The fact that you are allowing me to choose means a lot to me.”

Placing a hand on the taller man’s shoulder, Kyoya responded, “As much as you two have always been considered as a unit, like the twins or Tamaki and I, you are still an individual and need to make your own decisions--ones that work for you.”

“Thank you for giving me the option. I would like to see what happens,” Takashi said.

“No matter what you decide, we will be here for you,” Kyoya stated.

“Are you two finished talking yet?” Tamaki demanded excitedly. “We’ve got everything set up.”

Kyoya rolled his eyes at his best friend, but before he could say anything, Tachibana walked in followed by a smartly dressed young woman.

“I was told someone needs paperwork notarized?” she announced.

Mitsukuni waved to get her attention. “I do.” Then he turned to his cousin. “Takashi, please bring my identification from my satchel.”

Haruhi stepped away from the hospital bed to make room for the notary. Takashi handed Mitsukuni his wallet and walked over to see what the twins were doing with the pillows and blankets.

The notary looked through the paperwork and examined Mitsukuni’s identification. “Okay,” she said. “This looks straightforward. You sign here and then I will affix my seal.” She pointed to the line for his signature. She recorded the pertinent data in her logbook while Mitsukuni signed the document.

Once it was ready, she affixed the notary seal and signed in her designated area. “Now you just need to file this at the courthouse.”

Tachibana stepped forward. “Thank you for your assistance. I will see that it gets filed.”

“No problem,” the notary said with a smile. “That’s what I’m here for.” With that, she left.

“Fuyumi and I will sign the Hinan adoption papers tonight and I can file them all tomorrow morning as well,” Tachibana explained.

“Call me when it’s done,” Kyoya said, “and I’ll have Dr. Yang sign the transfer papers and get Mitsukuni moved to the Hinan Hospital. Ironically, the newly hired chief of surgery at the Hinan Hospital is the best one to perform the operation.”

The Host Club chuckled at how things had worked out.

As he was getting ready to leave, Tachibana touched Haruhi’s shoulder to get her attention. Quietly he said, “Kairi asked me to pass along a message for you to give to your father. Tell him that the lounge really needs a second bartender.”

“I’ll let him know,” Haruhi replied, smiling.

Hikaru said, “I don’t know about the rest of you…”

“But it’s been a long day and we’re exhausted,” Kaoru finished.


	11. A Step Forward

When Dr. Yang arrived in her office the next morning at ten o’clock, there were several messages waiting for her. The first was the test results for Mitsukuni Haninozuka that she looked through closely. “ _Given the tumor, the test results are exactly what I expected to see,_ ” she thought as she placed them in his file.

The next was transfer paperwork for moving Mitsukuni to the Hinan Hospital. “ _Wait a minute, the last name on these is Hinan, rather than Haninozuka,_ ” she thought in confusion. She flipped through the sheaf of papers and found copies of the fully executed legal documents removing Mitsukuni from one registry and adding him to the other. “ _I did not expect that to happen so quickly_.” She signed the transfer and set it aside so she could take it with her when she examined Mitsukuni later.

She was surprised by the third message. It was a job offer from the Hinan Hospital. “ _Hmm, I’ve heard nothing but good things about this new hospital. Maybe I’ll look into it later, though it almost looks too good to be true.”_

The final message was a phone message from Yorihisa requesting that she call him as soon as she was ready to release Mitsukuni. _“I may just need that job at Hinan Hospital after this_ ,” she chuckled mirthlessly to herself. She called the Haninozuka estate and left a message that she was on her way to examine their son for release. _“Just because that release is to another hospital at Mitsukuni’s request doesn’t change the facts._ ”

Dr. Yang picked up Mitsukuni’s patient file and the transfer papers before heading down to room 357. “ _Hopefully, they are awake, though I’m sure they would be an adorable puppy-pile there in the corner if they were still asleep_.” She shook her head at the flight of whimsy.

Knocking gently on the door and waiting for a ‘Come in,’ Dr. Yang opened it to find the cousins sharing breakfast and quiet conversation. They looked up when she asked, “Where are your friends?”

Takashi chuckled. “They wanted to stay but they still have school so Mitsukuni told them to go and they could come see him at the Hinan Hospital later.”

She glanced around and saw that the bedding from last night had already been cleared away. “How are you feeling this morning, Mitsukuni?” the doctor asked.

“Okay,” he replied tentatively. “Mostly just anxious to get the tumor out of my head.”

Giving him a quick, but thorough exam and removing the IV, she declared, “Things look good for your transfer. I’ll step out so you can get dressed. Let me know when you’re ready.”

It was just a couple minutes before the door opened and Mitsukuni said, “I’m ready.”

Dr. Yang smiled. “Here are your transfer papers. The transport is waiting at the front entrance and this orderly will take you down. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.”

“Thank you for everything, Dr. Yang,” Mitsukuni replied, as he shook her hand and climbed into the wheelchair for the trip down to the transport.

She watched the cousins leave and thought, “ _They should be gone before Mr. Haninozuka arrives_.”

Dr. Yang was filling out paperwork at the nurses’ station when Yorihisa walked up followed by his wife and Mr. and Mrs. Morinozuka. He demanded, “Where is my son?”

“I received paperwork this morning for him to be transferred to Hinan Hospital,” Dr. Yang responded.

“I clearly stated that he was to release today to keep his previously arranged assignment,” he insisted vehemently.

“Be that as it may, the transfer papers were waiting when I arrived for work this morning,” the doctor stated.

Before anything more was said, Takashi stepped out of room 357 with a book in his hand. His uncle rounded on him and demanded, “Where is Mitsukuni?”

“On his way to the hospital with the best surgeon to remove the tumor,” Takashi stated matter-of-factly.

“You will answer your uncle appropriately,” Akira said.

“I did. He asked a question and I answered it,” Takashi defended.

Akira’s eyebrows drew down in a scowl. “You know your uncle declared the surgery unnecessary and Mitsukuni just needs to work on his control and discipline.”

Takashi’s obedient nature warred with wanting what was best for his cousin. Wanting what was best won. “Father, I believe Uncle is wrong. He did not see what Mitsukuni was like this past school year. He was moody and dealing with headaches all the time. He collapsed. He told me just last night that he doesn’t like the person the tumor is making him become.”

“He could have overcome those by practicing self-control and discipline,” Yorihisa insisted.

Takashi looked at his uncle with a hard expression. “Would you expect Yasuchika to use self-control and discipline on his broken bones and get right back to training? No, he was given the proper medical attention and is being allowed to heal. Why is Mitsukuni not getting that same consideration?”

“That is not how you address your elders,” Akira growled.

“I have been respectful, even in my disagreement,” Takashi stated firmly.

“Perhaps you need to spend time at the temple for additional training in control and discipline.” Akira was practically shouting.

Yorihisa ground out, “You will not disrespect our families like this.”

Takashi stood up proudly to his full height and said with dignity, “I will no longer argue about the subject of Mitsukuni’s surgery. Your behavior is not worthy of respect. Circumstances have reached a point where it has become necessary that I withdraw from the family, just as Mitsukuni already has.” With that, he bowed respectfully and then turned his back on his uncle, aunt and parents and walked resolutely away.

The four adults stood there in shock at what had just transpired.

Dr. Yang silently cheered for the young man and the maturity he had shown. “ _That was an incredibly difficult decision to make. I wish him the best._ ” Then she turned away and went to start on her rounds.

<OHSHC>

Ryoji was waiting for Haruhi when she arrived home from school. “Dad, is something wrong?” she asked apprehensively.

“Nothing is wrong,” he assured her. “I just want to talk to you about a couple things.”

“Okay…” she responded.

“I know you’ve grown up in this apartment and your memories of your mother are here, but I have a really good job offer. The job would require that we move,” Ryoji explained, watching the expressions parade across his daughter’s face.

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi asked, “What’s the job, Dad? Where do we have to move to?”

“Well, my friend Shohei contacted me this morning. They really need another bartender at Hinansho. How would you feel about living there?”

Haruhi’s face lit up. “I would love it. Tachibana gave me a message for you last night that I haven’t had time to pass along. He said Kairi wanted you to consider being the second bartender in the lounge at Hinansho.”

Ryoji’s expression turned serious. “There are a few details we need to discuss. I know you have your own office apartment there, but I would feel better is you lived with me in my apartment.”

“That’s not a problem, Dad. I would prefer to live with you. That would leave an apartment available for guests or someone else brought onto the Hinan management team.” She smiled at him and he relaxed and smiled back.

“With how independent you have been since your mother’s death, I expected you to fight me on that point. That just leaves the timing for the move. I need to give my notice at the bar and contact the management company about the apartment.” Ryoji’s expression was pensive.

Looking thoughtful, Haruhi said, “I’m torn. On one hand, I want it to be now so I can be there for the twins and Mitsukuni…”

Ryoji interrupted. “That’s right. How is he doing?”

Before she could answer, her phone *dinged* several times. “I have messages from Kairi, Mitsukuni, Takashi, and Atsuhiro.”

“What do they want?” her dad asked.

Scrolling through the messages, Haruhi replied, “Kairi is reminding me to pass along his message. Both Mitsukuni’s and Takashi’s say they need me--they must have had a rough day with the transfer to Hinan Hospital. Atsuhiro’s says he’s waiting outside to take us to Hinansho.”

Ryoji suggested, “What would you say about having dinner at Hinansho? We can finish talking in the car on the way over. I can give Kairi my answer in person and discuss details while you head over to the hospital to check on Mitsukuni and Takashi.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Haruhi answered with a grin. “Just let me change my clothes and grab my bag.”

After the climbed in the car, Haruhi filled Ryoji in on Mitsukuni and his tumor. After that, it only took a few minutes for them to decide that Ryoji would accept the job at Hinansho and call the bar to give his two-week notice after dinner. They would move to Hinansho over the weekend and Haruhi would ride to school with the twins beginning Monday.

“Now that all that’s decided,” Ryoji said, “there is something I need to tell you.”

“What’s that, Dad?” she asked with some trepidation.

He smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing bad. I just want to tell you how proud I am and how much you remind me of your mother. I think for years you used your independence to hide in the little world of just me and you. You suppressed your natural tendencies because they reminded you of your mother and you were still feeling the pain of her loss.

“Since you met the Host Club, I have seen you start to bloom and allow yourself to love. You saw in those boys three isolated little gardens like ours and you wanted to protect them as much as you protected us. As you have gotten involved in their lives and you have allowed them into yours, the lessons Kotoko taught you about compassion and creativity have been shining through. I think the Hinan family was your creative way to protect your friends.

“Without realizing what you were doing, you drew those four gardens together into one. You slowly tore down at all the fences, allowing us to grow and intertwine. You have allowed them to become your friends and brothers. I’m happy you are experiencing love—both giving and receiving.

“You have grown and matured. I am so proud of you and I’m sure you mother is too. This move to Hinansho makes sense because, deep down, you feel the need to be there for your friends—your family that you’ve built. I have no doubt you will go far because of the foundation that you’ve laid.”

Haruhi brushed tears away. “Do you really think so, Dad? Would Mom be proud of me?”

“She would most definitely be proud of you, Baby Girl,” Ryoji assured her, pulling her into an awkward side hug. “We’re almost at Hinansho. After dinner, you go spend the weekend with your friends. I will talk to Kairi and then coordinate the move with Tachibana.”

<OHSHC>

Yoshio stepped up to the receptionist and stated, “I have an appointment to see Shizue Suoh.”

“Please have a seat. She will be with you momentarily,” the receptionist responded in a bored tone.

“ _The nerve of the woman! Summoning me here like an errant child and then making me wait. Who does she think she is?_ ” Yoshio fumed impotently.

The office door opened and Yuzuru stepped out. “…inform Tamaki on my way home. I’ll see you at dinner, Mother.”

Turning around Yuzuru saw Yoshio. “Mother must be letting you in on the plan,” he said off-handedly.

Yoshio preferred to keep his own council and responded with a smirk.

“Ms. Suoh will see you now,“ the receptionist announced.

Yoshio walked into the office and closed the door behind him. “You wished to see me?” he asked, settling into the chair in front of her desk even before he was asked. “ _Let the power plays begin.”_

Shizue smiled like a hungry cat watching a mouse. “Yes, I want you to confirm a rumor I have been hearing about Mitsukuni Haninozuka.”

“And what rumor would that be?” he asked coyly.

“I am in no mood for games,” Shizue stated. “Is it true that Mitsukuni Haninozuka has a brain tumor?”

“Yes,” Yoshio said simply.

“Is it also true that he and his cousin, Takashi Morinozuka, have withdrawn from their families because Yorihisa opposed surgery to remove the tumor?” Shizue demanded.

Yoshio sighed. “Oh very well. Members of the staff at one of my hospitals were present when Takashi Morinozuka railed at his uncle, aunt, and parents about their callous treatment of Mitsukuni Haninozuka. Mitsukuni was transferred to the Hinan Hospital under the name Mitsukuni Hinan.”

“That didn’t hurt so bad to admit,” Shizue said sarcastically.

“Interesting that the Hinan family is involved again,” Yoshio mused.

“What do you mean ‘again’?” Shizue asked.

Yoshio raised an eyebrow. “Surely you saw the headlines accusing the Hinan family of kidnapping the Hitachiin children following their parents’ deaths?”

Shizue gestured dismissively. “That was just Komitsuzawa sensationalizing this situation.”

“Be that as it may, why hasn’t he printed some scandalous article about this…defection?” Yoshi mused. “If you have heard it in elite circles, then so has he.”

“I do not wish to discuss that distasteful man any further,” Shizue sniffed. “I did not ask you here just to confirm the rumors. Now here is some information you may find…profitable. I have heard a number of elite families discussing the merit of sending their heirs to hospitals for medical, psychological, and genetic testing before officially naming them as heir. Other families are sending their currently named heir for such testing.”

“You are correct. That could be very profitable,” Yoshio allowed.

“In addition, I have a proposition for you that would be very beneficial to both our families,” Shizue hinted.

“That sounds interesting. What do you have in mind?” Yoshio sat back and made himself comfortable.

“I am sending Yuzuru and Tamaki to one of your resort hospitals for testing. I strongly suspect that Tamaki has the same genetic condition that caused his mother’s ill health. Therefore he will not be a suitable heir for the Suoh family.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Yoshio responded in a bored tone.

“I want you to disown your son Kyoya so I can adopt him as heir to the Suoh Empire.” Shizue smiled smugly at Yoshio because his expression confirmed that her suggestion had caught him completely off-guard. Then she saw the look of avarice appear in his eyes. “ _Good. I believe I have him hooked_.”

Keeping his greedy look in check, Yoshio said, “That’s an interesting proposal. Why not Yuuichi or Akito?”

“I think you would agree that the Suoh Empire would benefit most from Kyoya’s…aggressive business style. Just look at how he bought your company before Tonnerre could and then gave it back to you. That was quite a statement he made.” Picking up a pen, she twirled it in her fingers, intimating that there was contract ready to be signed.

“What about Yuzuru? Isn’t he your heir?” Yoshio hedged.

Shizue frowned. “Even if he were, he is unable to provide a future heir. I need to take steps to be sure the Suoh Empire is not fodder for opportunists. Are you interested? Or shall I look elsewhere for an heir?”

“ _I’ve been wanting to get my hands on the Suoh fortune and now here it is being handed to me on a silver platter. Kyoya is a small price to pay for that."_ Yoshio considered for a moment. “What about Tamaki? He and Kyoya have been best friends. Kyoya may resent usurping his friend.”

“I have a plan for that. Kyoya will be told that Tamaki will be returning to his mother in France. That has been his greatest desire since he came to Japan. We can make it seem like he is simply taking care of business for his friend,” Shizue declared.

Yoshio sat forward in the chair. “I assume you have a contract already drawn up? May I read it?”

Shizue slid a folder across the desk. Yoshio picked it up and read quickly through the contract. It stated that Tamaki would be sent back to France. Yoshio would disown his son to be adopted by Shizue to become official heir to the Suoh Empire. It also gave Yoshio a fifteen percent interest.

Smiling greedily, Yoshio signed the contract and handed it to Shizue and she signed it as well.

“If you will wait a moment, I will have a copy made for you,” Shizue said smugly.

<OHSHC>

Yuzuru stepped into the conservatory where Tamaki was idly playing the piano. He listened for a few minutes before announcing his presence. “Tamaki, do you have a few minutes?”

Turning his head to look at his father, Tamaki smoothly finished the piece as he replied, “Of course.”

“You are graduating at the end of next week and your grandmother has the party all planned. She has asked me to inform you that the other Host Club members will not be invited,” Yuzuru said, watching to gauge his son’s response.

“Well, if you think about it, that just makes sense,” Tamaki responded off-handedly.

His father looked confused. “It makes sense to exclude your friends from your graduation party?”

“But of course,” Tamaki explained. “Kyoya will be attending his own graduation party. Mitsukuni will be in the hospital recovering from surgery to remove the tumor. Takashi will, naturally, be at his side. Most likely Haruhi will be at the hospital with them. Hikaru and Kaoru still don’t feel much like parties. So it makes sense.”

“I hadn’t considered any of that. So you are correct, it does make sense,” Yuzuru allowed. “There is one more thing you grandmother wanted me to tell you.”

“Yes, Father?” Tamaki replied idly.

“Right after graduation, you and I will be spending six week at one of the Otori hospital resorts. Given the situation with your friend, Mitsukuni, and the tumor, your grandmother thinks it would be best if we both received thorough medical, psychological, and genetic screenings.” Yuzuru waited for Tamaki to protest.

“That is prudent. Has she already made the reservations? I’m sure many other elite families will be doing the same thing for the same reason,” Tamaki articulated.

“I’m sure your grandmother made the arrangements before she even informed me. You know how she is,” Yuzuru said, chuckling.

“By the way, Father, could we have dinner tonight?” Tamaki asked.

“I’m sorry, I have a dinner meeting with your grandmother. Let’s go out tomorrow night and we’ll have an early graduation celebration with just the two of us,” Yuzuru suggested.

Tamaki stood up from the piano bench and walked over to his father, pulling him into a hug. “I’d like that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

<OHSHC>

“ _I wonder why Father is insisting on a formal family dinner tonight. The regularly scheduled one is next week, just after graduation_ ,” Kyoya pondered as he made his way to the dining room.

When he entered the dining room, Masaya and Hibiki rushed over to him. “Uncle Kyoya, Uncle Kyoya.”

“Good evening, Masaya and Hibiki. Where is Ageha?” Kyoya asked quietly.

“She’s having dinner with her brothers,” Masaya answered.

Seiji and Fuyumi followed their children and watched while they interacted with their uncle. Quietly, Seiji asked, “You don’t think your father knows about the help you gave my family, do you?”

“That was the Hinan family, not me,” Kyoya smirked teasingly.

“Any idea what couldn’t wait until next week?” Fuyumi interjected.

Kyoya shrugged. “Maybe it’s something about the graduation party next week. It can’t be anything too serious since the children are being allowed to stay in here rather than being sent to the kitchen.”

Before they could speculate further, Yoshio entered and motioned for everyone to take their seats. After everyone had been serve and the children were quietly eating, Yoshio addressed the table. “I know you are all wondering why we are having the mandatory family dinner tonight rather than next week.”

Except for the children, everyone set down their utensils, anxiously waiting for Yoshio to continue. He cleared his throat and said, “First of all, Kyoya’s graduation party will be only business associates, none of the Host Club are invited. Other than that, there are no changes.”

“ _We already discussed that since Tamaki and I are both graduating at the same time, so that’s a moot point,_ ” Kyoya thought mirthlessly.

“Yuuichi, Akira, and Kyoya will be leaving the morning after the party to spend six weeks sequestered in one of our most exclusive hospital resorts,” Yoshio stated. “They are not to have contact with anyone other than the doctors and nurses.”

“Whatever for?” Yuuichi demanded, standing to his feet.

Yoshio glared at him and he sat down again.

“After the whole fiasco with Mitsukuni Haninozuka and the tumor, most of the elite families are having their heirs undergo medical, psychological, and genetic testing. I agree with the logic of that course of action, so all of you will be tested,” Yoshio declared.

“How am I supposed to leave my job for six weeks?” Yuuichi asked.

“I have already made the arrangements,” Yoshio replied condescendingly. “As for Akira and Kyoya, you will be on break, so there should be no problems.”

Kyoya spoke up, “Father, may I speak with you briefly after dinner?”

“Regarding?” Yoshio queried.

“I am in the middle of two college extension courses. I just want to be certain I will have the necessary access to complete them. With these, the challenge tests, and the online courses I’ve completed, I will be entering University this fall as a sophomore, rather than a freshman,” Kyoya explained.

Yoshio nodded in approval. “After dinner, we will adjourn to my study to go over your requirements.”

“Thank you, Father,” Kyoya said respectfully. “ _Hopefully the method I suggest will allow me to communicate with Hinansho during those six weeks without Father figuring out what I’m doing.”_

The rest of the meal was uneventful with quiet conversations. As everyone else was finishing, Masaya and Hibiki started getting fidgety.

“I think the kids are tired,” Fuyumi said. “We should probably take them home and put them to bed.”

“Very well,” Yoshio agreed. “Kyoya, please come with me.”

As the rest of the family said their goodbyes and headed off to their next activities, Kyoya followed Yoshio to his office.

Yoshio sat down behind his massive desk and gestured for Kyoya to take a seat in the chair in front of it. “So what do you need to finish these courses?” Yoshio asked.

“You mentioned that we would be sequestered for six week. Does that mean there will be no internet access?” Kyoya asked, seeking clarification before he began.

“There will be limited internet access. There is no cell service, so calls will be via landlines. What exactly will you need to do?” Yoshio responded.

“I only need to be able to upload files to the class sites. However, I will also need to have Tachibana courier some assignments because they have to be physical projects rather than electronic representations,” Kyoya explained.

“Do you have something in mind for that,” Yoshio inquired.

“Actually, yes. I have been researching an attaché case that should work. It has two keys, so Tachibana can have one and I’ll have the other. I will place my assignments in it and have it held at the front desk for Tachibana to pick up. Conversely, Tachibana could bring research files and source documents that I need for my assignments and leave it at the front desk to be delivered to me.” Kyoya relaxed as the expression on his father’s face smoothed.

“Well thought out. Purchase the case and make arrangements with Tachibana,” Yoshio decreed. “If there is nothing else, you are dismissed.”

“Thank you, Father,” Kyoya said as he bowed and then left the study.

<OHSHC>

Mitsukuni clung to Haruhi’s hand. “Thanks you guys for taking the time off from school during finals week to be here with me.”

Haruhi wrapped her arm around his shoulders, “Of course we’re here for you.” The rest of the hosts gathered and wrapped their arms around the pair.

“I’m scared,” Mitsukuni admitted. “I know Dr. Cho is the best at endoscopic endonasal surgery for brain tumors. But there are so many things that could go wrong.”

“Yes, there are. But the probabilities are very small,” Takashi said, squeezing his shoulder affectionately.

Dr. Cho and the anesthesiologist entered the room and observed the crowd. “You will need to leave so we can get him prepped for surgery,” Dr. Cho said kindly.

With pleading eyes, Mitsukuni asked, “Can Haruhi hold me until I fall asleep?”

The doctor looked skeptical until Haruhi said, “He relaxes much better that way.”

“That would make things go more smoothly,” the anesthesiologist admitted.

Tamaki, Kyoya, Hikaru, and Kaoru all said their goodbyes as the exited the room. Haruhi settled into a chair and Takashi carefully placed Mitsukuni on her lap, being very careful of the IVs. “I’ll wait until he is asleep and then I’ll move him to the gurney for the trip to the operating room,” Takashi said as he stepped into a corner to stay out of the way.

Mitsukuni’s eyelids were already starting to droop as the anesthesiologist check his vitals and laid out the medications. “Usually I have to use a fast-acting one to begin with to get them to relax for the longer term one to be more effective.”

Haruhi didn’t cease rubbing Mitsukuni’s back and runner her fingers through his hair. “He didn’t sleep very well last night, so he’s tired. He stubbornly didn’t tell me last night so I couldn’t help him then.”

Takashi watched Haruhi closely. He could tell that she was starting to babble because the hospital was making her nervous. “ _I’ll bet she’s thinking about her mother. That’s why she keeps talking—trying to distract herself.”_

The anesthesiologist contemplated the tableau before him. “Since he’s practically asleep already, I’ll only give him a half dose of the fast-acting. He really doesn’t need any more than that.” Deftly, he administered the first anesthesia. Haruhi’s grip shifted as Mitsukuni went completely limp. Aware that Mitsukuni’s arms were no longer wrapped around Haruhi’s waist, Takashi stepped forward to help balance the weight while the second, longer-lasting anesthesia was administered.

“You can place him on the gurney now,” Dr. Cho stated. “Thank you for your help. If you’ll head to the waiting room, I’ll come get you as soon as he is in recovery. The surgery will probably last three to four hours.”

“Of course, Dr. Cho,” Haruhi said. Takashi nodded in acknowledgement and placed his hand on Haruhi’s lower back to guide her out of the room. He could tell she was getting shaky. “ _If I thought she would allow it, I’d pick her up and carry her_.”

When Takashi and Haruhi reached the waiting room, the others were watching for them. Kyoya sat on a sofa while the other three sat in chairs nearby. Takashi maneuvered Haruhi to the sofa and she immediately curled into Kyoya’s side. Kyoya wrapped an arm around her and Takashi sat down on the sofa on Haruhi’s other side.

Kyoya gave Takashi a smile that said, “Thank you for watching over her.” Then Kyoya placed a kiss on top of her head as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

For the next three hours, the hosts took turns pacing and sitting. At one point, Haruhi even fell asleep in Kyoya’s arms. They talked in low voices, not wanting to disturb anyone around them. Sometime during their wait, an orderly brought in a tea tray with a selection of onigiri.

“Hey, Haruhi, wasn’t it your idea for the hospital to bring around tea and snacks every few hours to the waiting rooms?” Hikaru asked.

Haruhi smiled somewhat sadly. “Yeah, I remember when my mom was in the hospital and we went hungry because we didn’t want to go anywhere for fear of missing an opportunity to see her.”

Out of the blue, Tamaki piped up, “So what are we going to do for Takashi’s birthday?”

Hikaru looked at him quizzically. “It’s not until next week.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Tamaki responded. “But Kyoya and I have to leave Saturday morning and we’ll miss it. We want to be able to celebrate with our friend.”

“Well, Friday won’t work because of graduation and the parties,” Kaoru noted.

Haruhi sat up and turned to Takashi. “Would Thursday be okay with you? I’m sure I could arrange to miss my internship that day.”

Takashi looked torn. “I want to celebrate with all of you, but will Mitsukuni be out of the hospital by then? I’ve never celebrated a birthday without him—never.”

The group was still contemplating that statement a few minutes later when Dr. Cho walked into the waiting room with a smile on her face.

Takashi was the first to notice her and he stood up, asking, “Is Mitsukuni okay?”

“The surgery went smoothly and Mitsukuni is fine. You will be able to go see him in the recovery room in about fifteen minutes,” Dr. Cho assured them.

“Is there any possibility that the tumor could return?” Takashi inquired.

“I don’t think so. However, I did sent the tumor to the lab for a biopsy to be sure. It appeared to be benign. Although it grew in size, it did not spread to any other areas,” the doctor explained.

“That’s good to know,” Haruhi sighed. “When will he be released?”

Dr. Cho considered before she answered. “It could be anywhere from two to five days. A lot will depend on how he’s feeling. When you see him in the recovery room, there will be bruising and puffiness around his eyes and he’ll be congested. These are normal side-effects of the surgery.”

“What sort of follow-up will be involved?” Kyoya asked.

“Well, his full recovery will take about six weeks,” Dr. Cho explained. “During that time, he will see an endocrinologist who will check to be sure his hormone levels return to normal. There may be some headaches but nothing like he has been dealing with. Does anyone else have any questions?”

The friends looked around at each other, murmuring ‘no’ and shaking heads.

A nurse stepped into the waiting room and said, “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to your friend in the recovery room.”

<OHSHC>

Tamaki burst out of the small dining room. “Hikaru, Kaoru, you have to help me. We need to finish decorating before Tachibana gets back from the Otori estate with Takashi and Kyoya.”

“On it, Tono,” they chorused and saluted.

While the three were hanging the ‘Happy Birthday, Takashi’ banner, Hikaru asked, “Do you really think Yoshio will allow Kyoya to come to a graduation party that the Host Club is throwing?”

“That’s why we sent Takashi,” Tamaki explained. “He has impressed Yoshio in the past so he’s the most likely one to get approval for something like this.”

“Will Atsuhiro make it back from the hospital with Haruhi in time?” Kaoru asked.

“He should,” answered Tamaki off-handedly.

Fifteen minutes later, the dining room was decorated, dinner was waiting on the sideboard, and the table was set. Tamaki looked around with a satisfied look on his face. “The cake is on a cart in the kitchen all ready to be brought in later.” He glanced at the clock. “People should start showing up any time…”

Shima walked in, looked around, and smiled approvingly. “Well done, Master Tamaki.”

“Please allow me to escort you to your seat,” Tamaki said with a bow.

Next Seiji, Fuyumi, and the kids came in followed by Ryoji. Kairi came through the kitchen door and looked around. He asked, “Has anyone heard from Tachibana and…”

He was interrupted by Tachibana, Takashi and Kyoya entered laughing. “…my father at a loss for words before. That was priceless,” Kyoya finished, looking around at those already gathered in the dining room.

“Well, that just leaves Atsuhiro and Haruhi,” Kairi stated.

Takashi’s face fell. “I can’t believe I’m celebrating my birthday without Mitsukuni,” he murmured dejectedly.

Just then, Atsuhiro opened the door and said, “Sorry we’re late. Haruhi needed to get Takashi’s birthday present.”

Haruhi peaked through the door. “Um, it’s too big to wrap. Can I just give it to you now, Takashi?” she asked, chuckling.

“Of course,” he answered, a little bewildered.

Pushing the door opened, she reached out and pulled something into the room.

“Surprise!” she said as she stepped aside and Takashi saw Mitsukuni.

“Happy birthday, Takashi,” Mitsukuni said.

Takashi strode over and gently picked up his cousin—brother. Smiling at Haruhi, he said, “You give the best birthday presents.”


	12. The Next Shift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta suggested I up the rating from Teen to Mature because of some very frank discussion about sex in this chapter. It's nothing graphic but some readers may be sensitive and I wanted to give fair warning.

Haruhi had a sense of déjà vu as she sat between Hikaru and Kaoru watching the graduation ceremony. The biggest difference was that Kyoya and Tamaki were on stage graduating rather than sitting behind her. She reached for the twins’ hands when she noticed their melancholy expressions. “You guys okay?” she whispered.

“Just the past year catching up with me,” Hikaru admitted quietly. He shifted closer to Haruhi and squeezed her hand.

Kaoru shifted closer on the other side and added, “Déjà vu with a wicked twist.”

Sighing and trying to pull her attention back to the graduation speaker, Haruhi wished she could just put her arms around the twins and give them each a kiss on their temple, but that would look really strange since the students at Ouran still believed she was a guy. _“I can’t wait for this to be over so we can go to Music Room Three. Hopefully Mitsukuni and Takashi will be waiting for us_.”

Even though the Host Club discontinued operations, they still met in Music Room Three to do homework, eat lunch together, or make plans. Next year it would not be available to them, but then they could just head home to Hinansho and hang out in one of their apartments.

“ _Next year we’ll be graduating_ ,” Hikaru thought. “ _It will be so weird that Mom and Dad won’t be there to see us. At least we have a new family who’s here for us_.” He looked at his lap, contemplating the past year. “ _What a roller coaster it has been. The highs were great--establishing Hinansho, creating new Christmas traditions, being supported through everything, and reconnecting with Kami. The lows really sucked though—losing Mom and Dad, dealing with Rina, and Mitsukuni’s tumor.”_

Noticing Hikaru’s distraction, Haruhi squeezed his hand again to remind him that she was there for him. She glanced sideways at Kaoru, trying to discern what encouragement he needed.

Kaoru stared straight ahead, though he wasn’t really seeing Mr. Suoh at the podium. “ _I wonder what direction we should take the clothing line. I really like designing for Haruhi, but I’d also like to design for Ageha. Hmm, that’s a thought. I could design for kids and use Ageha, Hibiki, and Masaya as models. I think Hikaru would prefer to design for Haruhi, so maybe I’ll just leave the adult side of the line to him.”_

“ _I guess Mr. Suoh wanted to give an extra-long speech this year because Tamaki is graduating_ ,” Haruhi thought as he finished speaking and the farewell song began.

Finally came the precise choreography of the diploma presentation. Haruhi watched proudly as Tamaki and Kyoya performed the motions flawlessly. Her heart fluttered slightly as Kyoya looked straight at her and smiled after receiving his diploma. _“That’s one thing I’m going to miss about not going to the graduation parties tonight—dancing with Kyoya.”_

After the homeroom visit and final tour of the school, Tamaki and Kyoya met up with the rest of the Host Club in Music Room Three. Tamaki said, “On one hand, I’m going to miss this place. But, then again, we’ll still be part of each other’s lives no matter where we are. And we’ll always have Hinansho.”

Kyoya smiled indulgently at his best friend. “Next year, Haruhi and the twins will be here and the rest of us will be at University. By the way, I received some good news this morning. I was able to secure the apartment across the hall from Mitsukuni and Takashi. That should make gatherings easier.”

“We’re still sharing an apartment, right?” Tamaki asked tentatively.

“Yes, we are,” Kyoya assured him.

There was a *ding* from Kyoya’s phone and a simultaneous knock on the door of Music Room Three. While Tamaki answered the door, Kyoya checked the text he received.

“Father, what are you doing here?” Tamaki asked as Yuzuru stepped into the room.

“We need to get you home, so you have enough time to get ready for the party tonight,” he responded.

“Just a minute,” he said, hurrying over to the cluster of sofas where the group of friends had been talking about plans and saying their goodbyes. “I will miss you guys so much.” He shook hands with the twins, Mitsukuni, and Takashi before kissing Haruhi’s hand. Finally, he shook Kyoya’s hand and said, “I look forward to starting University in the fall. I’ll meet you at our apartment.”

With a soft click, whirlwind Tamaki was out the door with his father and on the way to his graduation party.

“I regret to inform you that the text was from my father and he wants me home right away to finish supervising preparations for my graduation party this evening,” Kyoya announced.

The four guys shook his hand and then unobtrusively left the room so he could have a moment alone with Haruhi.

“I really wish you weren’t going away for the next six weeks,” Haruhi whispered, trying hard to keep her emotions in check.

“You have no idea how much I will miss you,” Kyoya replied, kissing her tenderly. “Remember, if you need to get a message to me, send it though Tachibana.”

“I know, but it won’t be the same as having you here.” She pulled his head down to lean her forehead against his.

“I really should go before my father sends the Black Onion Squad to drag me home,” Kyoya half-jested. “You take care of yourselves and those Hinan boys. They’ve had a hard year and they really need you.”

Haruhi smiled half-heartedly. “I’ll do my best.” She pulled his head down so she could kiss him one more time before they parted for six weeks. The words ‘I love you’ were on the tip of her tongue but she just couldn’t bring herself to say them as he was leaving. “ _Maybe when he gets back,_ ” Haruhi promised herself.

Kyoya wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss. “ _I don’t know how I will survive without her, but I will, just so I can come home to her,”_ he thought. Aloud he responded, “You always do. I’ll see you in six weeks.”

The pair left Music Room Three and joined the four waiting just outside. Kyoya waved goodbye and headed for his waiting limousine.

Haruhi sighed as she watched him walk away. Mitsukuni wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered, “I’m starting to get a headache. Can we go home?”

Patting his hand, she replied, “Yes, let’s go home.”

“Would you allow me to carry you, Mitsukuni?” Takashi asked worriedly.

Sighing, he replied, “That might be best. I’m feeling really tired.”

Takashi gently picked up his cousin—brother, and placed Mitsukuni on his shoulder. “ _It’s going to take me some time to think of him as my adopted brother rather than my cousin,_ ” he thought wryly.

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged mischievous looks and Hikaru said, “Hey, Mitsukuni?”

“Yeah, Hikaru?” he responded warily.

“How do you like being Usa-chan’s little brother?” the twins said in unison.

Snorts and chuckles greeted the twins’ question. Haruhi slipped her arms around their waists. “Thanks for lightening the somber mood. Now let’s go home.”

<OHSHC>

Tamaki was enjoying himself as he stood in the receiving line with his father and grandmother. He thanked each guest sincerely for their congratulations on his graduation. Since those invited were business associates rather than school friends, there were few young people in attendance.

After the dinner, Shizue gave Tamaki a card with a list of his dance partners for the evening. Most were wives, but a few were eligible daughters that had accompanied their parents. “ _Well, at least there’s dancing_ ,” he thought ruefully as he led his first partner to the floor.

After an hour, Tamaki was getting tired of dancing. It was not that he was fatigued, on the contrary, he could have danced all night—with decent partners. “ _I think the Host Club spoiled me,_ ” he pondered as he led yet another simpering female in a waltz around the floor. “ _So far, not one of my partners could hold a decent conversation. I may as well be dancing with Usa-chan.”_

Yuzuru watched his son smile as he danced past with the daughter of an interior designer. “He looks like he’s having a good time.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Shizue stated bluntly. “After all, he had that Host Club for three years and was adept at making all those air-headed young women fall for him.”

“Well, you have to admit, he is doing his duty just as you asked him.” Yuzuru watched as Tamaki changed partners, leaving his previous one with a smile on her face.

Changing the subject, Shizue asked, “Are you packed and ready to leave first thing in the morning?”

“Yes, Mother,” Yuzuru replied. “I talked to Tamaki on the way here and he said that he is all packed as well. Are you sure this is necessary?”

“Yes, it is necessary. The Haninozukas lost their heir to a brain tumor,” Shizue insisted.

“You make it sound like he died. I heard from Tamaki that he came through the surgery just fine. The prognosis is very good for a full recovery,” Yuzuru said questioningly.

“Be that as it may, he is no longer a Haninozuka. He is now a Hinan. At least the Haninozukas had a second son who could step up as the new heir. We do not have that luxury,” Shizue insisted.

“You are right, of course, Mother,” he acquiesced.

“Now you need to go do your duty and dance with some of your associates’ wives.” Without waiting for a response, Shizue walked away.

<OHSHC>

Kyoya stood at the head of the receiving line at his graduation party, doing his best to keep his hosting smile in place. “ _Do these people even realize how rude and insensitive their remarks are?”_ he thought disgustedly. _“How am I supposed to politely respond to comments like, ‘Oh well, too bad you’re number three,’ ‘Guess now you can be married off to your family’s advantage,’ or ‘How does it feel to live in your brothers’ shadows,’ like I’m some afterthought or mistake.”_

When the receiving line was finally finished and Yoshio had moved away to speak to someone about a business deal, Akito said, “I’m so glad that’s over. I need a drink.”

Yuuichi hissed, “Just keep it in moderation. I doubt Father would be happy to have you drunk at our little brother’s graduation party.”

“Whatever,” Akito said dismissively. “I can hold my liquor just fine.” He promptly walked away and headed for the bar.

Yuuichi picked a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter. “I’m off to talk to the eligible daughters that came with their parents. Maybe I’ll find someone interesting to talk to.” He smirked at Kyoya and walked away.

Kyoya began to circulate around the room, conversing with those whom he had made mental note to follow up. While most of the attendees this evening were his father’s sycophants, there were a handful that might be adequate associates for Hinan family business.

After collecting his third business card for setting up a future meeting, Yoshio tapped Kyoya on the shoulder and said, “May I speak with you?”

“But of course, Father,” Kyoya replied, following him to an unoccupied corner of the room.

“What is the meaning of having so few refreshments?” Yoshio demanded.

Kyoya responded, “By ‘refreshments,’ I’m supposing you are referring to the amount of liquor I had stocked for the party this evening?”

“You know what I mean,” his father growled in anger.

“There are several facets I considered in selecting the appropriate amount of alcohol for the party this evening. The first was budget. This being an Otori party, they would be expecting high quality and that comes with a high price tag. The second was propriety. This is a high school graduation, not an office cocktail party. And third was to limit the potential of overindulgence that could lead to scandalous behavior that could be reported in the gossip columns and less reputable newspapers,” Kyoya outlined matter-of-factly.

Calming, Yoshio nodded at each of his son’s points. “Soundly reasoned. No wonder you friend Takashi was so impressed with your services for his event.”

Keeping his stoic mask firmly in place, Kyoya said, “Thank you, Father.”

“Now, please entertain some of the ladies by dancing with them,” Yoshio directed.

“As you wish, Father,” Kyoya bowed in respect and then went to do as he was instructed.

For the next two hours, Kyoya dodged passes from middle-aged trophy wives and handsy daughters. “ _What a wonderful graduation party_ ,” he thought sarcastically.

<OHSHC>

Haruhi tucked Mitsukuni into bed in his apartment at Hinansho. “Do you want me to sit with you until you fall asleep?

“That’s okay, Haruhi. You go have fun with Takashi, Hikaru, and Kaoru. I’m just so tired. It’s only been four days since the surgery,” Mitsukuni said sleepily.

Kissing him gently on the forehead, Haruhi tucked Usa-chan in next to Mitsukuni and then pulled up the blanket. “Sleep well.” She turned out the light on her way out of the apartment.

Takashi was waiting outside and asked, “Is he okay?”

Haruhi placed a hand on his chest and said, “He’s fine. Just tired. He reminded me that he had surgery just a few days ago. He told us to have fun and just let him sleep.”

Hikaru asked, “Can we watch a movie together?”

“I’d like that if it’s okay with you two,” Haruhi said looking at Kaoru and Takashi.

“Since we aren’t going to either of the graduation parties, it will give us something fun to do,” Kaoru said, and Takashi nodded.

“Whose apartment are we going to be in?” Haruhi asked.

Takashi said, “It should probably be one of the twins’ apartments. That way we won’t accidently wake up Mitsukuni.”

“Good idea,” Kaoru affirmed. “Let’s set up in my place. I have all the extra pillows and blankets in my closet. That way we can be comfortable together on the floor.”

Haruhi headed for the elevator. “Okay, you guys get started setting things up. I’m going down to tell Dad where I’ll be and ask Kairi if he has any snacks for us.”

“Don’t take too long. We still need to decide what to watch,” Hikaru admonished.

<OHSHC>

Mitsukuni fidgeted nervously as he sat in the café waiting for Reiko. She had returned from her year of studying in England on Saturday. He pulled out his phone and check the text she had sent him. “ _She said to meet her here at ten o’clock and it’s almost eleven now. Maybe I should text her to see if something came up._ ”

Just as he started typing, Reiko entered the café followed by Umehito. With a sudden flare of jealousy, Mitsukuni thought, “ _What’s he doing with her?”_ Then it hit him. “ _Wait…what’s wrong with me?”_

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Mitsukuni stood and greeted, “Reiko, it’s so good to see you. Umehito, it’s been a while.”

Reiko replied, “How are you doing? Haruhi told me it’s been a hard month.”

Mitsukuni sighed, “Why don’t we have a seat and order drinks?” He gestured to the waitress who had told him to let her know when his companions arrived, and she would take their order.

“Earl Grey tea, please,” Reiko asked with a smile.

“I’ll have matcha,” Umehito said.

“Ginger lemon tea and the check for me,” Mitsukuni stated.

The waitress smiled and replied, “I’ll bring those right out.”

As soon as the waitress walked away, Reiko slammed a sheaf of papers on the table and demanded, “What is the meaning of this?”

Mitsukuni picked up the document and saw that it was their marriage contract and “CANCELLED” was stamped in red across the top sheet.

“Are you casting me aside? Have you found someone else?” Reiko said softly, trying hard to resist the tears that were gathering in her eyes.

Dropping the contract, Mitsukuni stood up and walked to Reiko’s side. Kneeling down, he said quietly, “I am not casting you aside and there is no one else for me. My fa…Yorihisa sent this because, as far as the Haninozukas are concerned, it’s null and void.”

“What do you mean?” Reiko was starting to get angry. “Why would they think that?”

Chuckling humorlessly, Mitsukuni said, “Because that contract is for Reiko Kanazuki and Mitsukuni Haninozuka. I’m Mitsukuni Hinan now.”

Umehito’s eyebrows rose at this declaration. “Wait…what?”

Looking between Umehito and Reiko, Mitsukuni said softly, “I’m sorry, Reiko. I thought Haruhi would have told you.” Then, still kneeling, he noticed the waitress returning with their tea. He stood up and returned to his seat.

After the waitress left, he proceeded to tell Reiko and Umehito about the fight with Yasuchika, the injuries, and the punishment. He followed with the facts about his collapse, the tumor, Yorihisa’s denial of the surgery, and his own defection in order to get the surgery.

As Reiko listened, she gently stroked his hand. “ _Now I understand what Haruhi was trying to tell me. The reason she asked me to go to Hinansho_.”

Mitsukuni started to feel a little funny as Reiko stroked his hand. It was a fuzzy feeling in his gut. “ _I don’t understand this feeling, but I like it and I don’t want her to stop.”_

Watching their interactions, Umehito thought, “ _I see no reason to oppose a new marriage contract between them. He still has feelings for her, as she does for him. It will be a simple manner to change names and some of the clauses to fit the new facts.”_

After his recitation of the events, Mitsukuni asked, “Reiko, do you want a new marriage contract with me?”

“Of course I do,” she stated resolutely. “As long as my extended clan will approve.” Reiko looked at Umehito with a question in her eyes.

“I saw no reason to oppose it before, I see no reason to oppose it now over something as simple as a name change,” Umehito assured her. “We will have to meet with the Hinan family to iron out all the details.”

“How about seven o’clock for dinner tomorrow night at Hinansho? Two members are unavailable for the next six weeks, but everyone else will be there,” Mitsukuni invited.

“I will pass that along to the Matriarch,” Umehito assured him.

They spend the next half hour talking about the things they had seen and experienced as well as the people they met in their travels. They decided to order lunch and continued talking for another hour before Umehito insisted they had appointments they needed to leave for.

Shaking Mitsukuni’s hand, Umehito said, “If we can’t make it tomorrow night, I will call you. Otherwise, we’ll see you at dinner tomorrow.”

Reiko pulled him into a hug and whispered, “I’m glad you’re okay. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

As he held her, Mitsukuni felt that funny feeling wash over him again and he had to fight the urge to kiss Reiko. Swallowing hard to cover his emotional upheaval, he replied, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

<OHSHC>

Kyoya, Akito, and Yuuichi climbed out of the back of the limousine and looking around at the facility. It appeared to be an ultra-exclusive resort rather than a medical clinic or hospital.

Four staff members appeared and bowed to the brothers. Three immediately walked to the rear of the limousine to retrieve the luggage. The fourth stepped forward carrying three folders.

“Welcome young masters. We hope you enjoy your stay with us.” Handing a folder to each of them, he continued, “These are your schedules for your stay. While your luggage is being delivered to your rooms, please follow me and we shall begin with the first blood draw.”

Yuuichi and Akito wore bored expressions while Kyoya’s was mildly interested.

Flipping through his scheduled, Kyoya thought, “ _Well, it looks like Father had them allow plenty of time for schoolwork as well as investment research. Though I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the number of psychological evaluations—two per day seems a bit excessive_.”

“I can’t see why any of this is necessary. I get a physical every year,” Yuuichi complained as his blood was drawn.

“Who knows why Father ordered this?” Akito replied.

Kyoya smirked. “I would surmise a shrewd marketing ploy.”

Akito looked at him disdainfully. “Why do you say that?”

“You obviously weren’t listening to the gossip at Kyoya’s party last night,” Yuuichi said.

“Who pays attention to the prattling of empty-headed society women who have nothing better to do?” Akito sneered.

Yuuichi rolled his eyes. “It was actually the men who were discussing having heirs tested for underlying medical conditions or mental instability.”

“What brought that up?” Akito inquired.

“Ask little brother,” Yuuichi replied distractedly.

“Well?” Akito demanded.

Kyoya wanted to roll his eyes and refuse to answer, but his behavior would most likely be reported to his father and he wasn’t in the mood for the fallout. “Mitsukuni Haninozuka was diagnosed with a brain tumor.”

“Okay. That explains a lot. If a healthy bunch like the Haninozukas could have a major medical issue, I can see why all the other elite families would be nervous,” Akito allowed.

Relaxing slightly, but not enough that his brothers would notice, Kyoya thought, “ _At least Yuuichi didn’t ask for all the sordid details._ ”

Their escort stepped forward. “Now that your initial blood draws are done, I’ll show you to your rooms.”

<OHSHC>

Yuzuru and Tamaki sat relaxing in the living room of the two-bedroom suite at an Otori medical spa.

“Are you nervous?” Yuzuru asked.

“No, why would I be?” Tamaki replied. “Are you nervous about these tests?

Yuzuru shrugged. “I don’t see the point in them since we have physicals every year. I think my mother is just being paranoid because of your friend’s tumor.”

“I guess that’s understandable. That explains why these tests are so much more extensive,” Tamaki mused. “At least we get to spend some time together.”

“That’s true. How about we watch a movie together while we wait for dinner,” Yuzuru suggested.

Tamaki stood up and rubbed his hands together. “Great! What do we want to watch?”

<OHSHC>

Kyoya growled to himself as he returned to his room. “ _I can’t believe that Akito pushed me at that nurse. Just because he likes chasing anything in a skirt, doesn’t mean that I do_.” Shaking his head, he set down the attaché case on his desk and unlocked it. “ _It’s bad enough I’m hobbled in my ability to do the research I want for investing or my classes, but I have to put up with Akito’s antics. At least Yuuichi is using his time to catch up on medical journals rather than harassing me_.”

Pulling out the research materials and investment folders, he set them aside. “ _I’ll deal with those later_.” Opening the secret panel in the bottom of the attaché, he saw a small stack of folders and a folded sheet of paper. He ignored the folders and opened the sheet of paper. As he anticipated, it was a note from Haruhi.

_Kyoya, I miss you. Hikaru and Kaoru have been in a designing frenzy. Takashi is hovering over Mitsukuni like a mother hen. I’m working on my course projects, but it’s so much more fun when you are here to bounce ideas back and forth. Hope things are going well for you. Haruhi_

He could just imagine her sitting at her desk writing this letter to him. The warm feeling spread through his core. Kyoya’s thoughts drifted to the times when they sat together studying in Music Room Three or at the restaurant preparing for challenge tests. “ _She’s correct. It was always so much more interesting to study together. Maybe that’s why the projects for these last two courses seem to be dragging. I wish she were here_.”

Kyoya looked at the stacks on his desk and sighed. “ _I think I’ll write a note to Haruhi and then look over matters for the Hinan family. After that I’ll do my coursework and then the investment research. I should be able to finish that all before lights-out tonight so I can have the attaché back to the nurses’ station for Tachibana to pick up in the morning_.”

After three failed attempts to write a note to Haruhi, Kyoya growled to himself, “ _Maybe I’ll leave this for after everything else._ ” He tossed the crumpled pieces of paper in the trash bin. “ _Ever one of those sounded line those silly love confessions the girls used to give me during Host Club_.”

He picked up the Hinan family folders and looked through them. The top one was a copy of Mitsukuni and Reiko’s new marriage contract. Clipped to the top was a note from Haruhi.

_I wanted you to look this over before it’s finalized. It’s basically the same as their old one, except this one leaves out any mentions of his position as family heir._

Kyoya stopped. “ _Wait, who will be the Hinan heir? That’s something we’ll need to address in the not-too-distant future. For now, I need to get back to work before I run out of time_.” He read through the contract and then made a note on the front that everything looked fine.

A sudden epiphany hit him. “ _I don’t want to be the Otori heir. I would so much rather be the Hinan family heir. Even if I weren’t the heir, I would much rather be part of the Hinan family.”_

Kyoya stood up and started pacing, a plan forming. “ _I turn eighteen in November. That’s six months away—more than enough time to get everything into place. The day after my birthday, I can file the paperwork to remove myself from the Otori family registry. Tachibana and Fuyumi can then file the documents to adopt me into the Hinan family._ ”

Satisfied with this plan, he sat down and looked through the other Hinan family business. There were three investment possibilities that Kosaku thought looked promising. “ _I guess I consider myself part of the Hinans already because the best investment opportunities I’ve found, I’ve given to them rather than the Otoris. I haven’t even taken advantage of them for my own private portfolio.”_

Kyoya place a sheet in each investment file with observations, addition questions to research, and general comments. “ _That wraps up Hinan business_.”

Sorting through the research materials, Kyoya divided them between the two final projects for courses. He pulled up his presentation draft on his laptop and checked the marked passages against the reference materials. “ _Just as I thought. Now that all the facts have been checked, I can record my presentation and upload it to the course portal_. _I’ll do that later since it isn’t due until next week._ ”

Next, he pulled out the construction materials Haruhi had sent so he could construct the atom assigned as his final project in chemistry. He set to work right away because this assignment was due in three days so he had to have it at the front desk for Tachibana to pick up in the morning and deliver to the University the next day.

He was almost done when there was a sharp knock at his door. “Just a moment, I am at a crucial juncture in construction of my final project,” Kyoya responded as he slipped the Hinan files and Haruhi’s note into the attaché case’s secret compartment and locked it.

Opening the door, Kyoya found his father. “Good evening Father. To what do I owe this visit?”

Yoshio invited himself in and settled into the only chair in the room. He reached toward the construct on the desk when Kyoya said tightly, “Please do not touch that. I am almost done but I have not applied the fixative yet. It needs to be ready for Tachibana to pick up tomorrow. I would have finished sooner but the materials did not arrive until today. The professor had more difficulty then usual getting them because of backorders.”

Yoshio drew his hand back, scowling at the implied reprimand in his son’s tone. Ignoring the urge to call-out the implied insult, he said, “How have things been going with the tests? You have been here for three weeks. Have you been given any indication?”

“Yuuichi asked the doctors yesterday about preliminary results. They gave us the same ‘you will get the results summary at the end of your stay’ speech. I’m not sure I have much confidence in the psychological tests they’ve been giving me. The Rorschach test was annoying, especially the way the psychologist kept making faces and noises with each of my answers,” Kyoya explained.

“How is your coursework progressing?” Yoshio asked. “Will you be done soon so you can do more investment research?”

Gesturing to the construct on the desk, Kyoya replied, “That is my final project for my chemistry course. The marketing final presentation is due next week. I have my script and I just need to record and edit the video before uploading it to the course portal.”

Yoshio rose and strode to the door. “Then I shall leave you to get back to work. I will see you in three weeks when the tests are complete.”

Kyoya turned back to complete his chemistry final project. “ _I’m glad Haruhi sent along the special box to keep it safe during transport_ ,” he thought as he packed it away.

Checking the time, Kyoya frowned. “ _I guess I won’t be able to finish everything tonight. At least the chemistry final is ready for pick up tomorrow. I’ll just write a note to Haruhi and then take the attaché case to the nurses’ station for pickup in the morning.”_

_Haruhi, I cannot express how much I miss you—and the others too, I guess. These last three weeks have dragged interminably. I agree that studying is so much more enjoyable when we are together. As cliché as it sounds, I’m counting the days until I see you again. Kyoya_

As he finished, he pondered, “ _I want to sign it ‘Love, Kyoya’ but that doesn’t seem right since we haven’t discussed anything like that yet.”_

Slipping the note into the secret compartment with the Hinan files, he glanced toward the trash bin where he had thrown his first attempts. “ _I wouldn’t put it past Father to have someone looking through my trash since I disabled the security cameras in my room_.” He picked the three pieces of paper up and tried to decide how to dispose of them discreetly. He glanced over at his boxed-up finished project with the sealing wax and signet waiting to be officially sealed.

Kyoya grinned to himself. “ _Perfect. I can burn these when I heat the sealing wax and then wash the ashes down the sink.”_ Matching deeds to thoughts, he burned the papers, sealed the project box, and secured it in the attaché case. “ _Now I just need to take this to the nurses’ station_.”

<OHSHC>

It was three o’clock in the morning when Mitsukuni abruptly sat up in bed. “ _That dream was so vivid it seemed real, but Reiko and I have never done anything like that.”_

**^^^^^FLASHBACK^^^^^**

_Mitsukuni walked down the hall toward Haruhi’s old apartment where Reiko was staying while visiting for the week. Without knocking, he opened the door and slipped inside. After securing the door behind him, he made his way to the bedroom. He strode to the bed and admired the young woman sleeping there._

_She was wearing a sexy negligee, like one the twins had designed for Haruhi to torment Tamaki during her first year with the Host Club. Her sleeping form drew Mitsukuni’s full attention and he reached out to run his fingers down her arm._

_Mitsukuni felt heat building in his core and it spiked when Reiko opened her eyes and smiled at him. She reached up and placed her hand on his bare chest. It was only then that he noticed he was wearing nothing but a loose pair of pajama pants._

_Then she moved her hand upward to tangle her fingers in his hair, tugging him gently toward herself. He drew a sharp breath as his desire flared and he leaned forward to kiss her passionately. Drawing back to catch his breath, Mitsukuni watched as Reiko gestured for him to join her in bed._

_Unable, or unwilling, to resist, he climbed in and pulled Reiko flush against him as he kissed her again. One of her hands remained tangled in his hair while the other roamed gently over his body, torturing him with her touch._

_This ignited his desire and his hands began caressing every inch of her skin he could reach. Reiko made little noises of pleasure that increased Mitsukuni’s desire. He kissed her neck and she arched her body toward him, wanting more._

_Her hands moved to the waistband of his pajama pants and his hand moved to the hem of her negligee…_ and then Mitsukuni woke up in very damp, sticky bedding.

**^^^^^END FLASHBACK^^^^^**

Mitsukuni climbed out of bed and changed his pajamas. Then he stripped his bed, placing the soiled linens in the hamper to be laundered later. Re-making the bed, he thought about the dream and felt shame at his ungentlemanly behavior. He was also confused about the state the bed and his pajamas.

“ _I guess it’s a good thing I have an appointment with the endocrinologist later today. Maybe he’ll be able to explain what’s wrong with me_ ,” Mitsukuni contemplated as he tried to get back to sleep.

He tossed and turned until five, when he finally decided to just get up and head to the dojo to workout. It has been four weeks since his surgery. On one hand, he was feeling more clearheaded than he ever had before. On the other hand, he was completely confused. “ _I can think clearly but I just don’t understand the reactions from my body. Every time Reiko and I are together, I get this warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach when we touch, even if it’s the slightest brush of our hands_. _And now this dream_.”

Mitsukuni decided to eat breakfast alone in his apartment before heading to his doctor appointment. He didn’t want Reiko, Haruhi, or Takashi to see him. He was sure they would somehow know about the dream and he just couldn’t face them.

Atsuhiro dropped Mitsukuni off at the Hinan clinic and said, “Give me a call when you’re ready for me to pick you up.”

“Thanks. I will,” Mitsukuni replied before he closed the car door and headed toward the clinic.

Checking in with the receptionist, Mitsukuni was told to take a seat and the doctor would be right with him. “ _I hope he can tell me what’s wrong with me._ ”

It was only a few minutes later when Mitsukuni was called back to his appointment. After the standard checking of temperature, weight, blood pressure, and pulse, the nurse led him to the lab for a blood draw before walking him to the consultation room.

Five minutes later, Dr. Liang came in and asked, “How are you feeling?”

Mitsukuni looked a little uncomfortable. “Actually, doctor, I had this very vivid dream last night and woke up in damp bedding.”

Dr. Liang tried to hide a smile as he asked, “Was the dream sexual in nature?”

“Yes,” Mitsukuni whispered, still ashamed of his behavior in the dream.

“That’s great,” Dr. Liang assured him. “The very fact that you had a wet dream means that your hormones are starting to reach appropriate levels. If you had not had a tumor inhibiting your pituitary gland, you would have been experiencing these when you entered your teens.”

“So that’s what they meant in health class? They talked like everyone should know about it, so I was too embarrassed to ask,” Mitsukuni muttered incredulously.

Dr. Liang chuckled. “Perfectly normal. If you have males about your age that you trust, you can ask them. It’s a normal part of puberty.”

“That explains SOO much about Tamaki and the twins,” Mitsukuni muttered. “I’ll ask my cousin…brother about it when I get home.”

Looking puzzled, Dr. Liang asked, “Why the confusion about your relationship?”

Mitsukuni took a few minutes to explain the situation with his cousin, their defection, and adoption by the Hinan family. “I’ve thought of Takashi as my cousin for over nineteen years. We’ve been brothers for only a month.”

There was knock at the door and Dr. Liang stood up to answer it. The nurse handed him a clipboard, he said, “Thank you,” and closed the door.

“Well, the results of your blood tests confirm what your dream tells me. Your pituitary gland is producing the hormones at a standard level.” Dr. Liang smiled and continued, “I should warn you that you may start to feel some aches in your limbs and be more tired than usual. Within the next six months, I suspect that you will have a significant growth spurt. Don’t be alarmed if your appetite increases as well. These are all very normal.”

“Thank you. I feel so much better about things now.” Mitsukuni relaxed for the first time since he got out of the car.

“I’ll see you again in four weeks and we’ll check the hormone levels again. If they are where they should be, that will be your last appointment with me.” Dr. Liang stood and shook Mitsukuni’s hand. “Let me walk you out.”

Mitsukuni stood outside in the sun while he waited for Atsuhiro to pick him up. _“I hope Takashi isn’t busy this morning. I really need to talk to him_.”

“How did your appointment go?” asked during the drive back to Hinansho.

“The doctor says the tests looked good. If they’re still good next time, I won’t have to go see him anymore,” Mitsukuni replied.

“That’s great news! I know everyone has been worried about you for a while now. It’s good to hear that you’re going to be okay.” Atsuhiro pulled up to the front door to drop him off. “See you later.”

Mitsukuni headed straight to Takashi’s apartment and knocked. “ _Am I really going to do this? What will Takashi think of me?_ ”

“Come in,” Takashi called, turning to see who was at the door.

Looking sheepish, Mitsukuni stepped inside and closed the door. “Um, can I ask you a question, Takashi?”

“Of course. You can ask me anything. You know that,” he replied. “By the way, how did your doctor appointment go?”

“It was good. That’s actually why I want to ask you something. The doctor told me to ask a guy I trusted if what I’m thinking and feeling is normal,” Mitsukuni said tentatively.

Takashi looked slightly confused.

“Um, have you ever had wet dreams and, if so, when did they start?” Mitsukuni asked uncomfortably.

Blushing lightly, Takashi took a deep breath. “That’s quite personal, but I’m glad you trust me enough to ask.” He paused to collect his thoughts. “Yes, I have, and they started when I was about thirteen.”

“So, they’re really nothing to be ashamed of?” Mitsukuni asked hopefully.

Takashi chuckled. “Yes, they are completely natural. It’s your body adjusting to the new flood of hormones, especially testosterone. I take it Reiko was the girl in your dream?”

Mitsukuni blushed bright red. “How did you know?” he stammered.

“It’s usually a girl you have feelings for that causes them,” Takashi admitted.

Their talk was interrupted by a knock at the door. Takashi called out, “Come in.”

Haruhi opened the door and said, “Reiko, the twins, and I are getting ready to watch a movie and have lunch in Kaoru’s apartment. Do you guys want to join us?”

Takashi looked at Mitsukuni and he nodded in reply. To Haruhi, he said, “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Great. I’ll head down and grab our lunches. I’ll meet you there. Knock on Reiko’s door on your way past and let her know it’s time.” She turned and headed off on her errand.

Mitsukuni observed the look on Takashi’s face as he closed the door. “She’s been the source of those dreams for you, hasn’t she?”

Takashi paused before he turned around. Blushing and looking at the floor, he admitted, “There were a couple before her, but yes, she's been the most recent. Since I rescued her from Tamaki that first time. It only gotten worse after the time at the Otori water park.”

Remembering his dream triggered by brief touches with Reiko, Mitsukuni thought, “ _Carrying Haruhi through the jungle and protecting her must have had a profound impact on Takashi._ ” Looking up, he asked, “Why haven’t you said anything to her?”

Shrugging and blushing, Takashi responded, “She has feelings for Kyoya, and I suspect he returns them. I won’t interfere with that. However, I will always be there to protect her, to the best of my ability.”

Mitsukuni took a deep breath. “Thanks for talking to me about this. Let’s go have lunch and enjoy a movie with our friends.”

<OHSHC>

Tamaki looked at the doctor with a mixture of embarrassment and confusion. “You want me to what?”

“I need you to provide a sperm sample,” the doctor stated matter-of-factly.

Turning to his father, Tamaki pleaded, “Is this really necessary?”

Yuzuru chuckled. “Tamaki, the point of these tests is to be sure the family heir is healthy. That includes determining if you can produce an heir of your own. The best measure of that is sperm count and motility.”

“But…but…but, how am I supposed to do that?” Tamaki whispered.

The doctor spoke up, “I can have a nurse assist you.”

Tamaki turned white as a sheet. “No, no, no. I understand the mechanics from health class. I’ll figure it out.” He sheepishly took the specimen cup and locked himself in the bathroom.

Yuzuru looked at the doctor and asked, “I wonder how many other young heirs are having the same reaction to this part of the testing?”

The doctor smiled and responded, “Probably most of the ones under sixteen and a handful of older ones, like your son. It can be viewed as a rather embarrassing or invasive request.”

<OHSHC>

“Do you need a nurse to help you?” Akito taunted, leering suggestively at his younger brother.

Kyoya looked at him blandly and replied, “I may be a virgin, but I understand the mechanics and am quite able to provide the required specimen.”

Yuuichi interrupted, “Can you two knock it off? Let’s just get this over with. I will be so glad when all this poking and prodding is done. I want to get back to work. Thankfully, we only have one week left.”

Stepping into the bathroom and locking the door, Kyoya stared at the specimen cup in his hand. “ _I understand the rational for a sperm sample, but did the doctor really have to call all three of us in at the same time._ ”

Taking off his glasses and taking some deep breaths to relax, Kyoya considered, “ _Let’s see. The talk in health class said to relax and think of someone attractive_.”

Unbidden, memories of that night at the Nekozawa beach house flashed through his mind. Haruhi pinned beneath him, staring up at him. “ _No, I don’t want to be the type that uses bondage or non-consensual image to create the mood_.”

That memory had started the fuzzy, warm feeling in his core, and he knew he needed to capitalize on that. “ _I know. I’ll imagine our wedding night_.” As his imagination painted the tender, loving moment that he hoped the two of them would have in the future, he easily provided the sample needed.

Tightening the lid on the jar, he set the sample in the access panel. Then he washed his hands, put his glasses back on, and exited the bathroom.

“Did you need assistance?” a nurse asked.

“No, the sample is in the access panel,” Kyoya replied.

She took it out and placed it in the lab tray so it could be sent for processing once she had Akito’s and Yuuichi’s. “You may return to your room now.”

“Thank you,” Kyoya replied and walked away.

Fifteen minutes later, Yuuichi exited his bathroom, followed five minutes later by Akito. “Little brother still in there?” Akito asked, pointing to the bathroom where Kyoya had been.

“Oh no,” the nurse said smiling. “He finished twenty minutes ago.”

Yuuichi smirked and Akito just stood there with dumbstruck look on his face.

<OHSHC>

“ _It’s finally all over_ ,” Tamaki thought as he waited outside the doctor’s consultation room. “ _All the tests are done. The doctor will review the results with me and then I can go home. I can’t wait to see everyone. I wonder how Kyoya is doing?”_

The nurse broke into his musings when she said, “The doctor will see you now.”

Tamaki walked into the doctor’s office and he waved for Tamaki to take a seat.

“I have already provided copies of your results to your grandmother and your father. Since you are eighteen, I also wanted to go over the results with you.”

“So, everything looks good?” Tamaki asked brightly.

“For the most part,” the doctor replied cagily. “Most of your tests were well within normal parameters. Your IQ was above the average of 108, at 128. You psych evaluations were---interesting. However, there is one test that I would like to discuss with you.”

Tamaki cocked his head. “Which one?”

Taking a deep breath, the doctor replied, “Your genetic test shows that you have the same condition that caused your mother’s health to decline. In fact, you received that gene from both of your parents. It is recessive in your father, so he has not presented any symptoms yet, and potentially never will.”

“Okay?” Tamaki prompted, questioningly.

“However, because you have the recessive gene from both sides, it is a matter of how soon rather than if your symptoms will present,” the doctor continued. His expression was grave.

Sitting up straighter, Tamaki demanded, “How long do I have?”

The doctor rubbed his eyes. “ _I hate giving such bad news to one so young.”_ Clearing his throat, he answered, “I’m sorry, but in all probability, you won’t live to see your thirtieth birthday.”

Tamaki sat there stiffly, a cascade of emotions washing over his face. After a couple minutes, he shook his head and stated, “Then I will just have to make the best of the time I have left. Thank you for being frank with me. It’s so much better than having it come as a surprise later.”

Standing up, he offered his hand to the doctor. “Thank you for your diligence.”

The doctor stood as well, offering a tentative smile as he shook Tamaki’s hand. “I wish you the best in the time you have left.” Picking a folder up off his desk, the doctor handed it to him as said, “This is a copy of your test results. You are welcome to pursue a second opinion if you like.”

Taking the folder, Tamaki replied, “I may consider it, but I doubt it will change the facts. Have a good day.” With that, he turned and left the doctor’s office.

<OHSHC>

“Mr. Otori, your test results were exceptional. You are a healthy young male with a stable psychological profile,” the doctor reported.

Kyoya hid the glee in his eyes behind the glare on his glasses and the smirk behind and polite host smile. “Thank you. Was there anything of particular note?”

“Your IQ was above the average of 108, at 158. That’s just two points shy of genius.” The doctor stood and offered Kyoya a folder. “Here are copies of your test results. I have already forwarded a copy to your father.”

Kyoya rose and took the folder. “Thank you for your diligence,” he said before shaking the doctor’s hand and leaving the office.

“ _I am so glad that nonsense is over. I can’t wait to see Haruhi and the others_ ,” Kyoya thought as he headed to the entrance. He had his laptop with him and the remainder of his luggage had been taken to the front desk earlier that morning.

<OHSHC>

Shima stood quietly in the corner of the small dining room. She was so glad to see Master Tamaki back from all the testing. “ _There must have been some bad news in the results. He has a shadow in his smile.”_

The Host Club was exchanging hugs as Kyoya and Tamaki were welcomed back from their six-week ordeal. The Shido family, Tachibana, Ryoji, Kairi, and Atsuhiro watched their exuberant reunion.

Fuyumi called, “How about we sit down to dinner? Some of us are hungry.”

Smiling mischievously, Kyoya walked over and gave Fuyumi a hug. Laughing, he said, “As you wish, Sister Dear.”

She playfully swatted at him and said, “Oh, you.”

The group sat around the table, eating dinner and chatting amicably.

Tamaki asked, “Hey, Mitsukuni, how have you been feeling?”

“I’ve been feeling much better. I have an appointment with the endocrinologist next week. As long as my hormone levels are still normal, that will be my last one,” Mitsukuni announced.

Spontaneous applause and cheering broke out.

“That is very good news,” Kyoya commented. “Just so you all know, my tests were all normal.”

Everyone looked at Tamaki expectantly.

Haruhi had seen the same shadow that Shima had and she said, “If you don’t want to tell us, that’s fine.”

Tamaki shook his head. “I was wondering how to bring this up and this is the perfect segue. Most of my tests were normal.”

“I hear a ‘but’ coming,” Haruhi commented softly.

He smiled at her. “But…I have the same genetic condition as my mother. And in my case, I got the gene from both sides. The doctor said I probably won’t make it to thirty.”

The room was totally silent in the wake of his admission.

Haruhi stood up and walked over behind his chair, wrapping her arms around him from behind. “Oh, Tamaki,” she breathed.

He reached up and patted her arm. “Hey, it’s okay. I made some decisions on the trip home.”

“You’re going to join the circus?” the twins interrupted, trying to relieve the tension.

Laughing, Tamaki relied, “No. I have you clowns, why would I need to join the circus? However, I have decided to make the most of my time. When I left, I had no idea what I wanted to study at University in the fall. Now I’ve decided that I want to study psychology and concentrate on grief counseling.”

Shima looked at him proudly. “I think you will make a wonderful counselor, Master Tamaki.”

Haruhi surreptitiously wiped away a tear. “Well, that fits with your mission for the Host Club and all that you’ve done for us in the wake of the loss of the Hitachiins.”

“Okaa-san, thank you for those kind words,” Tamaki announced flamboyantly, with a twinkle in his eye.

Groans and chuckles were heard from around the dinner table.

Kairi spoke up, “Does anyone else have any bombshells they’d like to drop? Or can we get back to dinner?”

“Just one more thing,” Tamaki said soberly. “I do not intend to marry. I can’t stand the thought of leaving a wife and children when I know I will die young.”

Kyoya stood up and walked over to stand behind Tamaki with Haruhi. He placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “No matter what, you will always have a family that loves you. We will cherish the time we have with you.”

Tamaki patted Kyoya’s hand. “Otou-san, I couldn’t ask for a better family,” he declared as he looked around the room, smiling tearily.


	13. Preparing for School

Yuzuru walked into his mother’s office. “Good morning. You wished to see me?”

Shizue looked up from her paperwork and replied, “Yes. I have reviewed the reports from the doctors. I want to let you know about some decisions I have made based on that information.”

“Does the recessive gene have something to do with your decisions?” Yuzuru asked tightly, settling into the chair in front of her desk.

“Most definitely,” Shizue replied, folding her hands on the desktop. “You have not produced another heir, and you are unlikely to, based on some of your test results.”

“Mother, that is not the point,” he interrupted.

Fixing him with a sharp glare, she replied, “That was exactly the point of all those tests—whether or not you or Tamaki would be viable heirs. The test results state that there is only a slim chance that either of you could produce offspring to continue the Suoh bloodline.”

“What other choice is there?” Yuzuru demanded, sitting forward.

“I have been in negotiations to adopt a suitable heir from another elite family. It is not ideal, but I refuse to allow the empire I have grown to be looted simply because I did not have the foresight to insure a viable successor.” Shizue stood and leaned her fists on her desk.

Yuzuru stood as well and demanded, “So, you’re just going to toss Tamaki and me aside in favor of your new ‘toy’?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I will make provision for both of you. Neither of you will be named as heir, but I will not simply be tossing you aside.” Shizue took a breath to bring her temper under control.

“What exactly do you have in mind?” Yuzuru asked.

“You will remain in control of Ouran. That has always been your focus, so it shall remain so,” Shizue answered. “As for Tamaki, it will depend on what he decides to major in at University and where his interests lie.” She settled back into her chair. “Has Tamaki told you about his University plans?”

Yuzuru sat down as well. “He is still deciding. He has chosen the classes for his first term to fulfill core requirements while also allowing him to explore the areas of his greatest interest.”

“Well, that does show some maturity on his part,” Shizue allowed. “No need to alarm him with any of these plans. Let’s just allow him to concentrate on University. Once he chooses his path, it will be easier to determine what provisions to make.”

“That would probably be for the best,” Yuzuru agreed reluctantly.

“I hear he will be sharing an apartment at University with Kyoya Otori. Do you know when they will be moving in?” she asked.

“They want to get settled during the week before classes begin, so they plan to move in during the opening ceremony at Ouran,” Yuzuru supplied.

Shizue pondered that information. “That’s just next week. Well, no matter. As I said, we need to wait for him to choose his path.”

Yuzuru stood. “I’ll see you at dinner tonight. I have a few things to do at Ouran to get ready for next week.”

“I have a dinner meeting tonight. I don’t know what time it will conclude, so don’t wait up for me,” Shizue responded, returning to the work on her desk.

“Oh, okay.” He huffed, exited the office, and closed the door.

Shizue waited ten minutes before calling her secretary. “Please get Yoshio Otori on the line.”

“Yes, ma’am. I will put him through when I reach him,” was the business-like response.

Two minutes later, Shizue’s phone chimed. “Yoshio, so good to hear from you. Kyoya’s tests were very impressive. He will be ideal as the Suoh heir.”

Gloating, Yoshio responded, “Of course he is, he’s my son.”

“Only until he is mine. I am compensating you handsomely for him,” Shizue stated smugly.

“Very well. What is the plan now?” Yoshio asked.

“Yuzuru tells me that Kyoya and Tamaki plan to move into their University apartment during the Ouran opening ceremony next week. Instead of having my chauffeur take Tamaki to the apartment, I am going to have him taken to the airport and shipped back to his mother in France.” Shizue’s tone was no-nonsense.

“What do you expect of me?” Yoshio inquired matter-of-factly.

“I expect you to send your lawyer to the courthouse first thing that morning to file paperwork to remove Kyoya from the Otori family registry. My lawyer will be in that afternoon to add him to the Suoh registry,” Shizue explained.

“Won’t you need to remove Tamaki from the Suoh registry as well?” Yoshio sounded bored.

Shizue snorted disdainfully. “Do you really believe that I would allow that…that…by-blow to be added to my family registry? He was never added, so he doesn’t need to be removed.”

“Very well. I will have the documents prepared and brief my lawyer on what is expected of him next week,” Yoshio stated. “Is there anything else?”

“That is all,” Shizue said dismissively. “Remember, you signed a contract and you will be well compensated. Just think of it as him fulfilling his purpose as the third son, advancing the family by his disposition. Though it’s not by marriage, the connection still enriches the Otori family.” Before Yoshio could respond, she ended the call.

<OHSHC>

“ _I appreciate that Father allowed me to spend the three weeks here at Hinansho between returning from testing to moving into my University apartment_.” Kyoya knocked on the door of Ryoji and Haruhi’s apartment. “ _I hope Haruhi will be available tomorrow morning to help me with the apartment. I want to be as independent as possible while at University. That means no maids, no chef, and no bodyguard._ ”

Ryoji opened the door. “Come in, Kyoya. It’s good to see you. I take it you’re looking for Haruhi. I hope you’ll excuse me, but I must get to work. Bye-bye.” He stepped around Kyoya and out to door before Kyoya could get a word in edgewise.

Haruhi walked up to him and chuckled, “There goes my dad, the whirlwind.” She took his hand and led him into the living room.

Kyoya continued staring at the door. Finally, he shook his head. “Whirlwind indeed.”

“What’s up?” Haruhi asked, smiling.

“Well, I was hoping you would be available tomorrow morning to help me,” Kyoya stated, stepping closer to her.

Haruhi placed a hand on his chest and smiled coyly. “That depends on what help you need.”

Smirking, Kyoya asked, “Who have you been practicing your flirting techniques on this summer while I was away?”

Blushing, Haruhi mumbled, “Um, nobody. I might have missed you a little bit…and I may have thought about ways to get your attention when you got back.”

“I missed you, too,” he admitted. “I really appreciated the notes you sent.”

“So, what do you want my help with?” Haruhi prompted, taking a step back.

Looking slightly disappointed at the distance between them, Kyoya said, “Tamaki wants to go shopping tomorrow afternoon to buy things for the apartment. I was hoping you would come with me in the morning to make a list.”

“So, what type of shopping? Groceries? Furniture?” Haruhi asked.

Kyoya chuckled. “Yes and yes. As well as linens, kitchen wares, cleaning supplies, and whatever else you deem necessary.”

“Wow, sounds comprehensive. Won’t your chef and maids take care of those things?” Haruhi drew Kyoya over to the sofa, and pushed him to sit down, and then snuggled into his side.

Kyoya wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “There will be no servants. No matter how much Tamaki whines, we will be doing our own cooking and cleaning. That being said, would you be willing to give us some pointers?”

“I would be happy to help you.” Haruhi reached up to caress the side of his face while she kissed his cheek. “What do you have in mind?”

Pulling her into his lap, he kissed her neck and said, “Well, you could start by showing me how to cook a few simple dishes.”

Haruhi ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him softly. “Then why don’t we start with cooking dinner together tonight? And then breakfast tomorrow morning?”

Kyoya quirked an eyebrow, “Is that some kind of proposition? What would your father think?”

“No! That’s not what I meant.” Haruhi blushed, struggling to get off his lap.

“You are so easy to tease,” he chuckled. Releasing her, he stood up and pulled her up with him. “Shall we go start dinner?”

Walking in the kitchen, Haruhi asked, “What do you want me to teach you first?”

“Well, rice is a staple to almost every meal, so let’s start there.” Kyoya leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms.

“Good idea. There are so many things that can be steamed with the rice to make a complete meal easily,” Haruhi said as she pulled out the rice cooker, strainer, and rice crock. Next, she went to the refrigerator. She pulled out a package of salmon, several carrots, a head of broccoli, and a lemon.

Kyoya pushed himself away from the counter and stepped up beside Haruhi. “So, sensei, where do we begin?”

It took a lot of willpower for Haruhi not to roll her eyes at his teasing. “With the rice, of course.” She proceeded to show him how to measure the rice from the crock and rinse it in the strainer. During the process, she explained how to estimate how much to make. As she poured the rinsed rice into the rice cooker, she explained the different types of rice available. While measuring the water, she explained that the amount depended to the type of rice.

“This sounds similar to the tutorial I gave Takashi about determining refreshments for a gathering,” Kyoya commented, smiling at the memory of the gathering and his surprise birthday party the previous November.

Haruhi smiled. “That’s very true. Well, let’s prepare the salmon and vegetables in the steamer tray so we can get the rice cooker started.” She showed him how to cut the vegetables into uniform sizes and shapes and arrange them in the streamer tray with the salmon, lemon slices on top after a sprinkle of salt and sesame seeds.

Slipping the streamer tray into the rice cooker, Haruhi secured the lid and started the cooker. “Now we can clean up while we wait for dinner to cook.”

“Why did you make four portions of salmon and so much rice?” Kyoya asked curiously.

“In addition to dinner, we’re going to make some onigiri that we can take for lunch tomorrow or to have for a snack later tonight,” Haruhi explained.

Kyoya still had a confused expression.

Wiping down the counter, Haruhi said, “You won’t always have time to cook something, like lunch on a busy day. It takes only a little extra effort when you do have time to cook, to make extra to use for bento. Or a quick breakfast you can grab in a hurry when you have an early morning class after a late night of studying.”

“That’s makes a lot of sense,” Kyoya allowed. “Would you be willing to give Tamaki and me cooking lessons on weekends?”

“I’m not sure I could do it every weekend,” Haruhi admitted. “I have a busy year ahead of me, with Ouran classes, online classes, my internship, and Hinan family management. Hopefully, I can keep up with everything. Maybe we could try for once a month?” She rinsed out the dishcloth she had wiped the counter with, wrung it out, and hung it to dry.

Kyoya stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. “You need to take care of yourself, Haruhi. I don’t know what any of us would do if you got sick.” He leaned down and kissed her gently.

She reached one arm around his waist and slipped her other hand up and carded her fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck. “I’ll do my best. There are so many watching out for me, when would I ever have an opportunity to get sick?”

A fleeting look of disappointment ghosted across Kyoya’s face. “True, everyone looks out for you. You don’t need me…”

“None of that,” Haruhi stated. She pushed him gently backwards until he was leaning against the counter. Then she trapped him between her arms, holding tightly to the counter so he couldn’t move away. “What did you father and brothers say during those six weeks of testing that has you down on yourself again?” she demanded.

Looking down into her flashing eyes, Kyoya didn’t know whether he should feel intimidate or aroused by the vehemence in her tone. “It’s nothing. Yuuichi spent most of his time immersed in his medical journals. Father only visited once. Akito was his usual condescending, self-centered…” He paused, searching for an appropriate descriptive for his brother.

There was a *click* as the rice cooker finished.

Haruhi huffed. “Dinner’s ready. But you’re not getting out of it that easily. This conversation is not over. I want to know why you are so down on yourself again.” She stood on her toes briefly to kiss him before heading over to the stove to start water heating for tea.

“Please get the plates and bowls out of the cupboard so we can dish up dinner. Bring a plate for the extra portions of salmon that we’ll fill the onigiri with later,” she called over her shoulder in an attempt to jar Kyoya out of his thoughts about his brother.

Working together, they dished up dinner and settle at the table to eat.

Kyoya broke the silence. “This is very good for something that took so little effort to put together.”

Haruhi smiled. “See, you and Tamaki should be just fine. Mitsukuni and Takashi will also be right across the hall from you if you have any problems. You can always look up recipes online as well.”

“And if all else fails, our favorite restaurant is nearby,” Kyoya chuckled.

Rolling her eyes, she responded, “Yes, that is a viable option. It’s not like you can’t afford to order from a restaurant.”

After dinner, Haruhi showed him how to make onigiri, explaining that they could be plain or filled, elaborate or simple. “They’re an easy way to prepare food ahead or use up leftovers.”

Kyoya washed dishes while Haruhi dried and put them away. After the last dish was stowed in its proper place, Haruhi said, “We’re going to have that conversation now.” She took his hand and led him to the sofa in the living room.

Settling onto the sofa, Kyoya put his elbows on his knees and folded his hands. “I don’t know how to explain it. You are incredible and any man would be lucky to have you in his life. I half expected to return and find you dating Takashi.”

Haruhi bit her lip and considered, “ _I need to tell him. He’s been back over a week and I still haven’t told him what I wanted to say before he left.”_

Kyoya watched her expression and cold fingers of fear ran down his spine. “ _That’s what she’s about to tell me. They grew close while I was away, but she doesn’t want to hurt me_.”

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi blurted out, “Kyoya, when I kissed you just before you left for the testing, I wanted to say ‘I love you’ but it didn’t seem fair to drop that kind of emotional bomb when we had no time to talk about it. I wanted to tell you after you got back, but we haven’t had any time alone until now.” 

Reaching for Haruhi’s hands, Kyoya let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “You love me?” he asked reverently.

Haruhi smiled softly. “I told you that last year, but you were worried about Tamaki’s feelings. That just made me love you more.” She leaned in and kissed him gently.

Stunned, Kyoya relaxed into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her. After they both pulled back, he leaned his forehead against hers. “I love you, Haruhi. I’d ask you to be my girlfriend, but that sounds so juvenile. And we have years of schooling ahead of us, so it’s too soon to propose so I can call you my fiancé.”

Humming, Haruhi suggested, “How about significant other? That conveys our commitment to one another, without the unnecessary peer pressure to jump into an intimate physical relationship.”

“Significant other,” he repeated. “I like the sound of that. You have definitely been a significant influence in my life.”

Nuzzling his neck, Haruhi whispered, “It has the added benefit of being gender neutral. By responding to a love confession with, ‘I’m sorry. I have a significant other,’ I won’t expose my secret.”

“There is that.” He sat down on the sofa and pulled her into his lap. “How about cuddling up and watching a movie?”

“Any preference on the movie?” She kissed him, stood up, and walked over to get the remotes.

“How about ‘Princess Bride’? It may be a chick flick but it has special meaning for me,” Kyoya purred, smiling coyly at her.

“Coming right up,” she said, cuddling into his side after starting the movie.

An hour later, Ryoji returned from work to find the movie still playing. Kyoya and Haruhi were rather intimately entwined on the sofa fast asleep.

“Ahem,” Ryoji cleared his throat loudly. Haruhi snuggled deeper into Kyoya’s shoulder as his arms tighten around her. “ _Those two are so cute, I almost hate to wake them up_.” Remembering Haruhi’s warnings about waking Kyoya, Ryoji gently shook Haruhi’s shoulder.

Blinking, she looked up and said, “What do you want, Dad?”

Chuckling, Ryoji replies, “I want you to wake up your…young man and send him home for the night.”

She looked down and realized she was sleeping on Kyoya. “I’ll see what I can do,” she giggled sleepily. Scooting up, she whispered in his ear, “Kyoya, you need to wake up.” That just made him turn his head away from her breath in his ear. 

Next, she started kissing along his jaw. When he shifted to kiss her, she pulled away. He growled, “Why can’t you just let me sleep?” as he pulled her back into his arms.

“Because my dad is standing here watching us sleep together,” Haruhi teased.

Kyoya’s eyes flew open and he looked around like he was expecting Ryoji to threaten him with a baseball bat. “It’s nothing like that. We just fell asleep watching a movie.”

Ryoji put away his phone that he had been using to record Haruhi’s attempts to wake Kyoya. “It’s time for you to go home, regardless of whether or not you were doing anything inappropriate with my baby girl.”

Haruhi disentangled herself, stood up, and offered her hand. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

“Are you worried that I’ll get lost? Or that someone will try to kidnap me?” Kyoya teased, taking her hand.

“You never know. Your father may have sent the Black Onion Squad to drag you home. I can’t have that.” She opened the apartment door and stepped out into the hall, pulling him after her.

Kyoya smirked. “You just want to spend a few more minutes with your significant other, now that you have one.”

“Caught me,” she admitted as she pulled his head down to kiss him soundly. 

For the next few minutes they were lost in their own world of kisses and touches. Suddenly they realized they were no longer alone in the hall.

Hikaru purred, “About time you two figured out…”

“your feelings for each other,” Kaoru finished.

“Congratulations!” Mitsukuni cheered.

There was a fleeting look of disappointment on Takashi’s face before he added, “I hope you’ll be happy together.”

“Now, let’s all get to bed,” Tamaki declared. “Some of us have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“Oh, very well,” Kyoya conceded, kissing Haruhi one last time before releasing her.

<OHSHC>

Ryoji opened the door at Kyoya’s knock. “Haruhi is waiting for you in the kitchen. She said you were coming to help make breakfast.”

“She has graciously agreed to teach me some simple cooking techniques so that Tamaki and I won’t have to rely strictly on restaurant food while at University,” Kyoya replied.

“She is a very good cook,” Ryoji admitted proudly. “She loves cooking from her mother’s recipes.”

Pausing outside the kitchen, Kyoya said, “Before we go in, I would like your permission to date your daughter with the intention of marrying after I complete my MBA and she finishes law school.”

“If it is what Haruhi wants, then I’m satisfied,” Ryoji chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. “I have to admit, you’ve always been my favorite of her boys.”

Hearing their voices, Haruhi turned around and said, “If you two have finished catching up on your gossip, shall we make breakfast?”

While the rice finished cooking, Haruhi showed Kyoya how to make miso soup and rolled omelets. “For dinner tonight, I’ll show you how to make omurice,” she said as she pulled plates and bowls from the cupboard.

“I should have mentioned that Mitsukuni, Takashi, and Tamaki will be joining us for dinner,” Kyoya admitted sheepishly.

“That’s fine,” Haruhi said, smiling devilishly. “More chances for you to practice. And, of course, we’ll be having lunch at the restaurant since there won’t be any kitchenware.”

Breakfast went quickly as they chatted about their plans for the day. Ryoji shooed them out the door as soon as they were finished eating. “I can wash the dishes and clean the kitchen. It’s not like I’m helpless or that you made a huge mess.”

Haruhi kissed Ryoji on the cheek. “I don’t know what time I’ll be back tonight, Dad. A lot depends on how much cleaning the apartment needs and how long it will take to set things up.”

Ryoji gave Kyoya a pointed look and said, “Okay, Haruhi. I won’t wait up for you. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do--scratch that—don’t do anything you know you shouldn’t.”

“Tachibana is waiting for us at the front door. He also has some errands to run today so he volunteered to take Atsuhiro’s place as chauffeur,” Kyoya mentioned as they headed down in the elevator.

During the ride to the apartment, Haruhi and Kyoya made a list of staple supplies to stock. “We can make a list of cleaning supplies after we get to the apartment. Then we can walk to the supermarket and pick up groceries and cleaning supplies.”

“That should leave us enough time to make a list of the larger items needed before Tamaki arrives and Tachibana returns so we can head to the home center. Thank you for not making me go there alone with Tamaki. I suspect he’s going to be like a toddler in a toy store,” Kyoya commented.

Haruhi shook her head. “It will probably be just like that first time all of you came to visit me at home and he followed me to the supermarket. I finally had to hold his hand to keep him from running off and getting into everything.”

“Excuse me,” Tachibana interrupted. “We’re here.”

“Thank you, Tachibana,” Haruhi said before climbing out of the car as Kyoya held the door open for her.

“You are quite welcome. I will be here at noon so we can all eat lunch together at the restaurant,” he replied before Kyoya closed the door and the car pulled away.

Kyoya checked in with the manager and was given two copies of the key to the apartment since all the paperwork had been completed before graduation. As soon as Kyoya opened the door, Haruhi headed straight to the windows and opened them up wide.

“Wow, it’s stuffy in here. And look at all the dust.” She pulled out a small notepad and pen. “Let’s see—a duster, broom, dustpan, damp mop, several small trash bins, and some liners to start off the list for the home center.”

Kyoya looked around. “It doesn’t look too bad, considering it’s been vacant for three months.”

“Let’s take a look in the kitchen. Then we can head to the supermarket.” Haruhi walked into the kitchen and went straight to the refrigerator. “Good, they unplugged it and left the door slightly ajar. Nice and clean with no moldy smell. I’ll just plug it in so it’s cold when we bring home the groceries.”

“Let me do that,” Kyoya said, taking the plug from Haruhi’s hand.

Haruhi kissed his cheek. “Thanks. I’ll just look over the list for the supermarket before we leave.” She pulled her small notebook and pen out of her pocket again. “In addition to the staple groceries we already have on the list, I think we should get dish soap, a sponge, disposable dust clothes, gloves, masks, and reusable shopping bags.”

Kyoya stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Looking over her shoulder, he commented, “Are we going to be able to carry all of that?”

“It’s not far, the only heavy thing is the rice, and the reusable bags are strong,” she replied, turning in his arms to kiss him.

“Then, shall we go?” He stepped back and offered his arm.

An hour later, they returned from the grocery store with everything on the list. Setting the bags on the counter, Kyoya said, “That was a lot more fun than I expected. Now I know why you were always trying to leave right after Host Club hours to go shopping. But I thought you said that only the rice would be heavy. You carried those bags like they weighted nothing, but they were heavy to me when I tried to pick them up.”

“Well, usually it was so I could catch the good sales and then get home to make dinner for Dad before he had to leave for work. I guess my household chores have been my workout for years,” Haruhi admitted. “Let’s wipe down the shelves and refrigerator before we put the groceries away.”

“To think we considered you weak and lazy because you didn’t take PE. None of us realized how much of a workout household chores could be.” He shook his head and chuckled. “I have the bag with the cleaning things we need,” Kyoya said, pulling items out of one of the bags.

Working together, it only took them ten minutes to wipe down the shelves in the cupboards and refrigerator. Then they were able to put all the groceries away and stow the reusable bags for the next time Kyoya and Tamaki needed to go grocery shopping.

Kyoya leaned back against the counter and watched Haruhi fold and put the bags away. _“I can’t help but imagine us in the future, in our own apartment doing domestic things like this. It even brings to mind the images I used for that one test this summer._ ”

Haruhi turned around and saw his soft smile. “What are you thinking?”

He pushed away from the counter and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m thinking of our future together. When it will be the two of us in our own apartment.” He pulled her close and kissed her gently. “I was also thinking how much I enjoy having you as my significant other.”

She responded to his kiss, reaching up to tangle her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. The kisses were getting more passionate and hands were starting to roam when there was a loud knock at the door.

Haruhi pulled back, embarrassed at her behavior. “I’m sorry. I got carried away.”

Kyoya leaned his forehead against hers. “I was swept right along with you. I know we need to be more careful, but that is a conversation for another time when we’re alone. Right now, we need to answer the door. I suspect it’s Tamaki.”

Caressing his face, she replied, “I’ll get the door. You may want to go comb your hair.”

Smirking, he patted her backside before heading to the bathroom to follow her suggestion.

Opening the door, Haruhi found not only Tamaki, but Mitsukuni and Takashi as well. “Come on in, guys,” she said, standing aside to make room for them.

“Where’s Kyoya?” Tamaki asked, looking around.

“I was using the bathroom,” Kyoya replied, closing the bathroom door behind him. He glanced at his watch. “Tachibana should be here in half an hour. Then we’ll go to lunch and, afterwards, head to the home center.”

“I can’t wait,” Tamaki enthused. “I’ve never been to a home center before. What will we be buying there?”

“Haruhi, where’s the list we made up?” Kyoya asked.

“It’s right here,” she replied, picking it up off the kitchen counter. She handed it to Tamaki. “Why don’t you look around the apartment and see if there’s anything we missed?”

“Will do,” Tamaki answered absentmindedly.

“Just remember, there’s only so much room in the apartment,” Kyoya called after him.

“Haruhi, would you be willing to pick up a few things for us at the home center?” Mitsukuni asked.

She smiled. “I don’t see why not. Do you already have a list? Or should we head over to your apartment to look around and make a list?”

“Would you help us make a list?” Mitsukuni asked sheepishly.

“Not a problem,” Haruhi replied. “Kyoya, why don’t you and Tamaki decide who will get which bedroom and other splits of space, like the bathroom drawers?”

Kyoya nodded. “That’s a very good idea. We have about fifteen minutes left before Tachibana gets here so we can go to lunch. That should be plenty of time.”

Takashi unlocked the door to their apartment. Pushing the door open, he headed straight for the windows and opened them up wide. “Stuffy,” he clarified.

“I had to do the same thing when Kyoya and I got to his apartment this morning,” Haruhi responded.

Mitsukuni started looking in drawers and cupboards to determine what, if anything, they needed. “We definitely need a new duster. It looks like we’re almost out of trash bin liners. That’s all we need for the kitchen. Let me check the bathroom.”

While Mitsukuni was inventorying the bathroom supplies, Takashi asked, “Haruhi, would you also see if you can find an air mattress and a book light?”

Haruhi jotted those two items on the list. “I’ll see what I can find.”

“Looks like everything is fine in the bathroom,” Mitsukuni said as he returned from the bathroom. “Takashi, did you ask about the air mattress and book light?”

“Yes, I did,” he replied.

“It will be no problem for me to pick these up along with Kyoya and Tamaki’s things. Oh, that reminds me. I need to make a note to myself to find something for Masaya, Hibiki, and Ageha to celebrate the first day of school,” Haruhi commented.

There was a knock at the door and Mitsukuni answered it.

“Are you guys ready for lunch? Tachibana’s here and we’re ready to go,” Tamaki blurted excitedly.

“Yes, we’re ready.” Mitsukuni’s voice changed octaves in the middle of his sentence and he flushed with embarrassment.

Smiling, Haruhi hugged him. “Don’t be embarrassed. That just proves you’re getting to normal hormone levels.”

Takashi patted his shoulder. “That’s right. Your voice changing is an expected part of puberty.”

Tamaki clapped his hands in excitement. “We should celebrate.”

“Can we just go to lunch?” Mitsukuni asked sheepishly.

“Of course,” Haruhi replied. “Tamaki, please don’t embarrass him during lunch.”

Contritely, Tamaki answered, “Yes, okaa-san.”

Kyoya shook his head and thought, _“I wonder if this over-excitement of Tamaki’s is an act to cover worries about his genetic condition? Maybe some time when it’s just the two of us relaxing in our apartment, I’ll broach the subject with him. For now, I’ll just keep an eye on him.”_

They enjoyed lunch at their favorite restaurant but soon Mitsukuni and Takashi had to leave for meetings with their academic advisors. Tachibana, Kyoya, Tamaki, and Haruhi called their goodbyes before heading to the home center.

“Why don’t you two go look at towels and sheets while I make delivery arrangements for our furniture purchases? I want to be sure they can accommodate us,” Kyoya requested.

“Okay, otou-san. Don’t take too long,” Tamaki said as he grabbed Haruhi’s hand and pulled her in the direction of the linens department.

When Kyoya met up with them ten minutes later, he could tell that Haruhi was getting exasperated with Tamaki already.

“No, Tamaki, I don’t think Kyoya wants lavender towels and sheets just because that was his rose color in Host Club. He would prefer black and shades of gray,” she stated adamantly as she resisted Tamaki’s attempt to shove the colored linens at her while simultaneously trying to pull the monochrome ones from her grasp.

Tamaki jumped when Kyoya stepped up behind him and said, “Haruhi is correct in my color choices for my personal linens. If you want colors for the apartment, we can get those for the guest towels and the kitchen.” He took the black and gray linens from Haruhi and placed them in the cart attended by a store employee.

Haruhi looked at Kyoya questioningly. Kyoya replied, “This is Iwata. He will be assisting us today in our shopping and delivery.”

“Nice to meet you,” Haruhi said, bowing. “Thank you for helping us today.”

Iwata bowed his head slightly. “I am pleased to be of service. Please let me know if you have any questions.”

“Now that we’ve settle on Kyoya’s colors, what color do you want your linens? White like your rose?” Haruhi asked, trying to get Tamaki back on track so the trip didn’t take until closing time.

“I like those rainbow ones over there,” he said pointing to a stack of brightly colored, striped towels.

Haruhi picked them up and placed them in the cart. “I think those two-tone patterned towels would be a good choice for your guest towels.” She pointed to some with more understate color schemes.

“I think a set of blue and a set of red linens should be adequate,” Kyoya agreed.

Next they picked out several kitchen towel sets with geometric shapes in black, white, and red.

“Can we get this apron?” Tamaki begged. On the front it said, ‘Kiss the Cook.’

“I’d prefer this one,” Kyoya returned. The one he was holding said, ‘My Kitchen, My Rules.’

Haruhi intervened. “Why don’t you each get one?”

“That should take care of all the linens for now. Shall we look at the furniture next?” Kyoya suggested.

“Yes, that will be lots of fun,” Tamaki said happily.

It didn’t take long to decide on the furniture. Given the space constraints of their apartment, they each chose a bed, desk, and dresser for their bedroom. 

For the living room, they picked out a sofa with two matching chairs that could fold out into beds and had hidden storage compartments. Tamaki discovered a slim cabinet that, when opened up, had a place for a television, other electronic equipment, videos, and other storage. “That was quite a find, Tamaki,” Kyoya praised.

Haruhi located the next space-saving piece of furniture. It was a dining room table with six folding chairs that were stored between the folded down extension leaves of the table. “It’s large enough for when you have guests over, but folds down small enough to be out-of-the-way,” she explained.

“That’s great,” Tamaki enthused. “What’s next?”

Pulling the list and a pen out of her pocket, Haruhi started crossing off entries. “We already have the linens and furniture. Do we want to go to kitchenware or cleaning supplies?”

Iwata, who had been following them faithfully and silently, suggested, “It would be most efficient to go to kitchenware first. Cleaning supplies are between there and the cashiers.”

“I just remembered something,” Haruhi said. “Mitsukuni and Takashi wanted me to pick up an air mattress and a book light for them.”

“That’s easy enough. We’ll pass that section with those items on our way to kitchenware,” Iwata responded.

Haruhi found the items she was looking for easily. Tamaki and Kyoya decided to purchase an air mattress as well to have on hand for company, even though the sofa and chairs folded out into beds.

When they reached the kitchenware section, Tamaki was fascinated by all the gadgets available and wanted to buy them all.

“We have space constraints, Tamaki,” Kyoya reminded him. “Perhaps we should allow Haruhi to pick the cooking paraphernalia while we decide on the dishes and flatware.”

Haruhi smiled her thanks at Kyoya’s suggestion. It only took her a few minutes to collect what was needed in their small kitchen.

When she joined the two young men in the tableware section, Kyoya was pinching his nose and shaking his head. “We don’t need twelve place-settings. The table is only big enough for six. The most we would probably have room for is the seven from the Host Club. Do be reasonable!” he said in exasperation.

“Why don’t you get eight place settings? That would allow for an extra just in case something gets broken,” Haruhi suggested.

“That’s fine,” Tamaki agreed. “But what pattern should we get. Kyoya doesn’t like any of my suggestions.” He waved a hand at the display of large, boldly colored plates. “He wants something like those.” This time he waved to a display of delicate china.

“Well, you choices could be a little…overpowering in a small space such as you have,” Haruhi hedged. “And Kyoya’s choices might not survive very long, since they are so delicate. Why don’t you try to find a middle ground?”

They finally agreed on a sturdy set with a delicate ivy pattern around the edge. The flatware carried through with the ivy theme.

“Now cleaning supplies and we’re done,” Haruhi announced happily.

Tamaki found that section of the store boring and he started to wander in the direction of the cashiers when another section caught his eye. He rushed over and picked up a golden retriever plush. “Can I get this, okaa-san?” he practically begged.

“Would you stop calling me that?” Kyoya growled.

“I wasn’t talking to you, otou-san,” Tamaki said contritely. He turned to Haruhi and repeated his request, this time adding puppy eyes.

“Kyoya, why don’t you head to the cashier with Iwata? I want to pick up something for Masaya, Hibiki, and Ageha to celebrate the beginning of school. Hopefully, we won’t be long,” Haruhi said.

“Very well, I shall get things started. Don’t take too long,” Kyoya replied with a smile and then started walking toward the cashier with Iwata.

“Tamaki, you have done well today. Yes, you may get the dog,” Haruhi finally answered.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he enthused, hugging the plush tightly.

“Just let me find something for the kids and then we’ll go.” She looked around and finally decided on pencil cases and pencils.

They caught up with Kyoya just as the cashier was beginning to ring up the purchase.

Haruhi said, “Tamaki, you stay here with Kyoya. I’m going to another cashier to purchase the items for Mitsukuni and Takashi as well as the things I’m buying for the kids.”

Since her two purchases took less time, she was waiting for them near the exit.

Kyoya said, “The furniture will be delivered to the apartment in about an hour. That should give us plenty of time to get home and put the other purchases away.”

“We’ll need to wash the linens and dishes before they can be used,” Haruhi reminded them.

“I’ll help you with the dishes,” Tamaki volunteered, stroking his new golden retriever plush.

Tachibana folded the newspaper and laid it aside to help load the purchases into the cargo compartment. “I see you were successful. I take it you were able to get the furniture.”

“We easily found everything we were looking for. The furniture will be delivered in about an hour,” Kyoya responded.

During the drive back to the apartment, Tachibana asked, “If it is agreeable with you, I would like to return to Hinansho after I’ve dropped you and your purchases off at the apartment.”

“That’s fine,” Kyoya replied. “I meant to tell you that Takashi will be driving us home since he and Mitsukuni will be having dinner with us tonight. You enjoy the rest of the day with your family.”

When they reached the apartment, Tachibana was going to carry their purchases up, but Tamaki insisted, “The three of us can handle it. You go ahead and spend time with your family.”

After they watch Tachibana drive away, they started upstairs to the apartment. 

“Tamaki, when we get upstairs and put all these things down, remind me to give you your key to the apartment. I picked it up this morning,” Kyoya said over his shoulder.

“I get my own key,” he responded excitedly.

Kyoya just shook his head in bemusement.

When they reached the apartment, Haruhi took some of the bags from Kyoya so he could get out the key and unlock the door.

“Just put everything on the kitchen counter for now,” Haruhi directed. “Remember, we need to wash everything before we use it or put it away. Let’s start with laundering the kitchen towels so we can wash dishes.”

After placing the bags on the counter, Kyoya reached into his pocket and pulled out a key attached to a large white rose keychain. “Please try not to lose this,” he instructed Tamaki.

Haruhi picked up the laundry detergent and the fabric softener and walked to a small closet between the kitchen and bathroom. “You guys bring the linens and we’ll get the first load started.”

“Can’t we wash them all at once?” Tamaki asked.

Shaking her head, Haruhi responded, “An apartment size washer and dryer can only handle small loads. It will probably take four loads to wash all of this. Kitchen towels, guest towels, your linens, and Kyoya’s linens.”

She opened the washer and proceeded to explain how to sort by colors and fabric types, how to load the machine, where to put the detergent, where to put the fabric softener, and how to choose the proper cycle.

“That’s a lot to remember,” Tamaki muttered. “I’m sure to mess it up.”

Haruhi smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll write some instructions and post them here on the inside of the door so you can see them as you do the laundry.”

“It would probably be best if we each did out own laundry,” Kyoya suggested.

“Okay, we can’t do anything more with the laundry until the load finishes,” Haruhi stated. “Let’s sort out the rest of the purchases. Stack the dishes by the sink and we’ll wash them after the kitchen towels are done.”

When the wash cycle finished, Haruhi instructed the young men in using the dryer, which was much easier than the washer.

Soon there was a knock on the door and Tamaki answered it. “Hurray! The furniture is here. Come in. Come in.” He gestured frantically for the delivery men to bring in the items.

It took nearly an hour to bring in all the furniture and set up in the proper places. By that time, the kitchen towel load was dry so they could wash dishes.

After all the immediate work was complete, they decided to have a seat in the living room. “This is really comfortable,” Haruhi remarked as she sat on the sofa between Tamaki and Kyoya.

“Well, let’s go get dinner started.” Haruhi patted Kyoya and Tamaki’s knees before using their knees to lever herself up. She turned around and held out her hands to help them up.

“So, what do I get to do?” Tamaki asked uncertainly.

“First, put on your apron and I’ll teach you how to cook rice,” Haruhi responded. “Kyoya, please cut some chicken into bite size pieces. You’ll want your apron as well.”

After the rice cooker was set, Haruhi taught Tamaki how to safely cut up the vegetables. “Until you’ve had some practice and feel more confident, go slowly and deliberately so you don’t cut yourself.”

“Speaking of which, we should get a first aid kit to have for minor emergencies,” Kyoya commented.

While they waited for the rice to finish cooking, Haruhi explained how to prepare the filling for the omurice.

Just as the rice cooker *clicked,* there was a knock at the door. “Kyoya, would you answer that?” Haruhi asked.

As Kyoya expected, it was Mitsukuni and Takashi. “Come in. Haruhi was just about to start teaching us how to make the omurice filling for dinner tonight,” Kyoya stated.

Takashi noticed what Kyoya was wearing and commented, “Nice apron.”

“Oh goody,” Mitsukuni exclaimed. “Haruhi makes such good omurice. I want to learn how as well.”

Chuckling, Haruhi replied, “Sure. But you’ll have to be careful, we don’t have any other aprons.”

“That’s fine,” Mitsukuni agreed.

The friends laughed and joked as they prepared dinner together. “ _I wish Hikaru and Kaoru were here. But they had all-day plans to do their school shopping with Ageha, Fuyumi, Masaya, and Hibiki_ ,” thought Haruhi wistfully.

Takashi glanced at her. “Something wrong?”

“No…yes…sort of?” Haruhi hedged. “It just feels a little off because the twins are not here with us.”

Takashi smiled and patted her on the head. “We’ll have to plan some dinner parties like this when we can all participate.”

Tamaki interrupted, “What do we do next, Haruhi? The filling is done.”

Haruhi made her own omurice as a demonstration for the others. When it was ready, she moved it to a plate and drew a bird on it using ketchup. She supervised Tamaki and Kyoya as they made their own.

“Haruhi, would you draw a picture on mine?” Tamaki asked.

She drew a rose on his omurice. Then she looked at Kyoya, quirking an eyebrow to silently ask if he wanted a picture as well. Pondering briefly, he nodded, and she drew a crown.

By the time she finished drawing, Mitsukuni had finished making his. “Would you do a bunny on mine?” he pleaded.

Ruffling his hair, she replied, “Of course.” She finished drawing the bunny and looked at Takashi. He nodded and she drew a tree for him.

“Shall we move our dinner to the dining table and try it out?” Kyoya suggested.

“Yes!” Tamaki agreed.

Kyoya and Tamaki set up the table and unfolded the chairs. Mitsukuni and Takashi carried the dinner plates to the table. Haruhi retrieved beverages from the refrigerator.

They ate their dinner and talked comfortably until Takashi announced, “It’s getting late. We should head back to Hinansho as soon as we’ve cleaned up here.”

Tamaki looked disappointed. “I guess it is getting late.”

Kyoya interjected, “We can do this again, you know.”

Tamaki brightened. “We can?”

“Of course, and have the twins join us as well,” Haruhi assured him.

The group made short work of the cleaning. Takashi took the items that Haruhi purchased for them across the hall to their apartment. Then they all headed home to Hinansho.

<OHSHC>

Friday afternoon, Hikaru and Kaoru walked down the hall and knocked on Haruhi and Ryoji’s door. When Haruhi answered, Hikaru asked, “Do you think we could spend this weekend before school starts together? Including sleeping together at night?”

“Do you mean just me with you two? Or all of us together?” she asked.

Kaoru answered, “Everyone from the Host Club. We know how hard it was to return to school with a new last name. Even though Mitsukuni and Takashi are in University, it will probably still be hard to go back to see people who knew you with your former name.”

“We at least had the advantage that everyone knew about our parents’ deaths. Mitsukuni’s tumor was not a widely known fact. They will be facing a lot of questions about why their last names changed,” Hikaru added.

She pulled them into a hug and said, “Thank you for being so considerate of their feelings and what they may be facing when they return to University. You two have grown immensely since I first met you. Has it really been only two years?”

Releasing them, she continued, “I think spending the weekend together is a wonderful idea. Let’s go talk to them and see what they think.”

Haruhi stood behind the twins so Mitsukuni wouldn’t see her. “ _I know he will agree if he thinks it’s my idea. I want to see how he reacts to the suggestion from his new brothers_.”

Hikaru knocked on Mitsukuni’s door and, when he answered, asked, “We were wondering if you would be interested in spending the weekend together as the Host Club. If you have other plans, that’s fine.”

Kaoru added, “We want to be sure you know we’re there for you and Takashi. We understand how hard it can be to return to school after upheaval in your life that results in a name change.”

A kaleidoscope of emotions played across Mitsukuni’s face. After taking a minute to collect himself, he finally responded, “I’d like that. It’s been a hard week. Takashi and I have spent most of it at University doing all the paperwork to change our names. I think we could use the moral support of a weekend together. Let’s ask Takashi.”

Mitsukuni knocked on Takashi’s door and when he answered, the twins explained their idea. Takashi took one look at Mitsukuni’s hopeful expression and smiled. “I would like that very much.”

“Great,” Hikaru whooped. “Let’s go get Kyoya and Tamaki so we can decide whose apartment we’re going to spend the weekend in.”

Hikaru went to Kyoya’s apartment and Kaoru went to Tamaki’s to explain the plan to them. Soon the whole Host Club was standing in the hall discussing whose apartment to use.

“Let’s use my apartment,” Tamaki suggested excitedly. “I’ve always wanted to host a sleepover.”

“Just one thing,” Kyoya interjected. “I have to be back at the Otori estate by ten o’clock Sunday morning for brunch. But until then.”

Tamaki looked a little sheepish. “That reminds me. I have to be back at the Second Suoh Mansion at the same time for brunch with my father.”

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a look. In unison, they responded, “Not a problem. We’ll just have to start now and have as much fun as we can before nine o’clock Sunday morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta added this note to the end when she finished proofing the chapter for me.
> 
> "Next Chapter: The Best Laid Plans of Snakes (Suoh) and Weasels (Otori)"  
> [Get Massively Screwed Up]


	14. Foiling the Plot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for "The Best Laid Plans of Snakes and Weasels."

Haruhi woke to the sound of Hibiki and Ageha running up and down the hall shouting, “We get to start school today! We get to start school today!” She chuckled at their excitement as she got up and headed to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready.

“ _I almost can’t believe this is my final year at Ouran_ ,” she thought as she washed her hair. “ _There is no way that I could have imagined I would be here when I made that fateful decision in middle school to try for the scholarship._ ”

She dressed carefully in her uniform and packed her satchel. “ _Even though we only have the opening ceremony today, I still have an assignment due for one of my online courses.”_

Just as she was about to open the door, there was a knock. Opening it she found Hikaru and Kaoru grinning at her like Cheshire cats. “What are you two up to?” she asked suspiciously.

“Nothing,” they hummed in unison. “We just wanted to walk you down to breakfast.”

“Are we going to stop by Mitsukuni and Takashi’s apartments to get them too?” she asked.

“Of course. Do we need to wait for Ryoji?” Hikaru responded.

Haruhi chuckled. “No, he left while I was in the shower. I think I heard Fuyumi asking for his help getting Hibiki, Ageha, and Masaya downstairs.”

The trio headed down the hall to pick up the other two and then to the small dining room where Kairi insisted on serving them a special breakfast for the first day of school.

The five entered the dining room where Ryoji and the Shido family were waiting for them along with Shima, Atsuhiro, Kairi, Kosaku, and his wife Hibiki.

“About time you guys got here,” Ageha said disdainfully. “We’ve been waiting forever to have breakfast.”

The twins picked up their sister and said in unison, “You are sooo cute!”

“Put me down so we can eat,” she ordered, wriggling out of their grasp.

Fuyumi took charge. “Alright everyone, get some breakfast and sit down. We have a busy day ahead of us.”

Everyone complied and soon all were seated at the table chatting quietly.

Fifteen minutes before the Ouran group needed to leave, Fuyumi stood up and said, “I have a little something for each of the students, even the University students.” She handed around the gifts. “Mitsukuni, see that these two get to Kyoya and Tamaki, please.”

“I’d be happy to deliver them,” he replied, tucking them into his satchel with his own gift.

Fuyumi continued, “Atsuhiro, if you would bring the car around, we’ll meet you out front.”

“I already parked it out front, so we can leave any time you’re ready,” he countered.

“Are you kids all finished with breakfast?” Fuyumi asked, looking around the table.

Ageha and Hibiki announced, “Yes!”

Masaya mumbled, “Yes, I am.”

Haruhi chuckled at the differing reactions. “Oh, by the way. I got something for you three as well.” She handed them the pencil cases filled with pencils that she bought at the home center. “They’re not much, but I wanted to get you something for your first day of school.”

The girls hugged her and shouted, “Thank you, Aunt Haruhi.”

Haruhi looked at Fuyumi with a questioning look.

She shrugged in return. “We wanted an address for you that wasn’t too formal, but also was not too familiar if you encounter each other at Ouran.”

“Okay, makes sense,” Haruhi replied with a nod. To the little girls, she said, “So, are you excited about starting school?”

Ageha and Hibiki shrieked in unison, each grabbing a hand to drag her to the waiting car.

“Haruhi, really,” Fuyumi rebuked. “We just got them calmed down. Don’t rile them up just before the car ride.”

“Sorry.” Haruhi smirked unrepentantly.

<OHSHC>

Kyoya climbed into the car waiting for him in front of the Otori mansion. “Good morning, Tachibana.”

“Good morning,” he replied. “Is there something wrong? You look perplexed.”

“Father was acting…odd this morning at breakfast. He kept looking at me with this smirk on his face like he had some surprise he was about to spring on me,” Kyoya pondered aloud.

“Best keep your guard up,” Tachibana advised. “That look never bodes well…for anyone.”

Kyoya sighed. “I’m just glad he didn’t insist that I live at home while attending University.”

They rode in silence for a while, both enjoying the quiet of their own thoughts.

Kyoya’s phone *dinged* noisily in the silence. “Mitsukuni says that Fuyumi sent along gifts for Tamaki and me. That’s just like her, treating me like a kid.”

Tachibana chuckled, “Well, you will always be her kid brother, no matter how old either of you get.”

“That reminds me,” Kyoya said seriously. “The day after my eighteenth birthday, I plan to remove myself from the Otori registery and request adoption by the Hinan family.”

“Duly noted. What brought this on?” Tachibana inquired.

Kyoya rubbed his forehead. “I fear that Father may be arranging a strategic marriage for me, just as he did for Fuyumi.”

Tachibana assured him, “Well, we have all the paperwork ready, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Still, I can’t shake the feeling that Father is up to something.” Kyoya felt a chill run down his spine.

<OHSHC>

“Good morning, Master Tamaki. I am here to drive you today,” greeted Shizue’s personal chauffeur.

“Good morning,” Tamaki responded suspiciously. “What about my usual chauffeur?”

He answered smoothly, “He was sent on ahead with the luggage and boxes.”

Tamaki had a nervous sensation in the pit of his stomach. “ _It’s plausible, but Grandmother has been acting so…strange. Rather than insulting me, she’s been acting like I don’t exist. But now she’s sent her own chauffeur to drive me to my University apartment. Maybe she’s just glad I won’t be around anymore.”_

“Just let me grab my satchel…” Tamaki began.

The chauffeur interrupted, “It was already taken with the luggage.”

“Oh, okay,” Tamaki said with trepidation. “ _Something doesn’t seem right, but I’ll play along for now_.”

Holding open the door to the limousine, the chauffeur gestured for him to climb in.

Tamaki settled into the back seat, but remained alert.

Fifteen minutes later, Tamaki realized that they were headed away from, not toward, the University. He pressed the intercom button to alert the driver of the problem, but he was ignored.

It took Tamaki only another minute to realize he was being driven to the airport, not the University. “ _I need to figure this out and devise a plan. Grandmother must be sending me back to France. I can’t assume that my things were sent ahead—either to France or even to the plane.”_

He leaned back and took several deep breaths to curb his rising panic. _“Takashi taught me how to focus. I just need to do that—deep breaths and focus on my inner calm.”_

He started to chuckle nervously. “ _Maybe that should be deep breaths and focus on Takashi’s inner calm, since I don’t have any_.”

The deep breaths and laughter helped release his nervousness. “ _I need to contact Hinansho and have Atsuhiro come pick me up. I should also get a message to Kyoya and Haruhi so they can bring the paperwork to the courthouse. Then I can remove myself from the Suoh registry and be added to the Hinan._ ”

Tamaki looked up when he felt the car beginning to slow. “ _Just as I surmised—the airport_.”

Rather than drop Tamaki off at the terminal, the chauffeur parked in a ‘Reserved’ lot. He opened the door for Tamaki and growled, “Please come with me and do not cause any trouble. Your flight will leave in an hour.”

Tamaki followed, outwardly calm. He took in his surroundings and started to formulate a plan. The chauffeur led him to a special VIP lounge with a security guard stationed outside. “ _Clever of Grandmother to be sure I didn’t have any money to take a taxi or a phone to call a friend._ ”

_“Let’s see. I have two options. If there is no one in the lounge, I will have to sneak out somehow to borrow a phone or convince a ticket agent to allow me to use the counter phone.”_

The chauffeur roughly thrust him through the door and pulled it quickly shut. He addressed the security guard, “Make sure he doesn’t leave.”

“ _Well, that eliminates that way as a means of escape,_ ” Tamaki thought ruefully. He looked around the lounge and sighed in relief. There were about a dozen people waiting for their flights. Most were businessmen intently working on their laptops. Luckily, there were several young ladies as well.

“ _Time to turn on the charm_.” Tamaki sauntered over to two young ladies who appeared to be high school-aged. Striking a dramatic pose in his best Host Club Prince persona, he said, “Good morning, ladies. My name is Tamaki. Will you lovely princesses be my traveling companions today?”

The girls giggled and slid apart to allow Tamaki to take a seat between them. Wrapping an arm around each of them, he purred, “What did I do to deserve such delightful company?”

The girl on Tamaki’s right fluttered her eyelashes and asked, “So, where are you going?”

Tamaki sighed and replied, “I am bound for France to visit my mother.”

The other girl patted his knee and whispered, “What a good son.”

“May I know your names and what great adventure you lovely ladies are about to embark upon?” he inquired gallantly.

“I’m Haruna,” said the girl on his right. “This is my younger sister, Sakura. We’re headed to Paris for our study abroad term.”

“Oh my. Maybe we shall see one another because Paris is where my mother lives,” Tamaki emoted. “Why did you choose Paris, if I may be so bold to ask?”

Haruna replied, “I am interested in learning to design jewelry.”

Sakura interrupted, “I want to design shoes.”

“What better place than Paris,” Tamaki exclaimed. Dramatically, he laid the back of his hand against his forehead. “Oh bother. I can’t remember if I told my valet to change my appointment with my tailor. This trip was a whim and I forgot about my appointment for my new suit fitting next week.”

He reached into his pocket and gasped. “I forgot. My phone is in my satchel and my valet has that. Whatever shall I do? The last time I missed an appointment with my tailor, he refused to make another suit for me for three months.”

Sakura laid a hand on his arm. “Here, Tamaki, you can use mine,” she purred.

Placing a hand over his heart and bowing his head slightly, he whispered, “Thank you for your gracious boon. If you will excuse me for a few moments, I will take care of this boorish business and return to your delightful company.”

Tamaki walked to a corner as far as possible from all the other occupants of the lounge. He dialed quickly and waited impatiently, although he kept his face impassive.

“Hello?” Atsuhiro answered.

“Atsuhiro, this is Tamaki and I need your help,” he blurted.

“What’s up?” Atsuhiro asked anxiously.

“I don’t have time to explain but I need you to come pick me up from the airport…” Tamaki began.

Atsuhiro interrupted, “Why are you at the airport? I thought you would be at your apartment.”

Tamaki huffed. “My grandmother is trying to ship me off to France with nothing. The phone I’m using I had to borrow using some subterfuge. Look, the plane leaves in less than forty-five minutes, so I don’t have a lot of time.” 

“Sorry,” the driver apologized. “Can you meet me at the curb? I should be there in fifteen minutes.”

Tamaki heard a muffled, “I have an emergency and I don’t know when I’ll be back,” as Atsuhiro addressed someone at Hinansho.

“I can’t,” Tamaki admitted. “There’s a guard at the door of the VIP lounge. He’s there to keep me from leaving.”

In the background noise of the call, Tamaki heard a car door open and close and then an engine start.

“I’m switching to hands-free Bluetooth. Just a minute,” Atsuhiro assured him.

The driver’s mind was working methodically--examining, evaluating, and discarding plans. Finally, he said, “Okay, Tamaki, listen closely. This is what I need you to do…”

<OHSHC>

“ _How Yuzuru can go on_ ,” Haruhi thought to herself as she suppressed the urge to sigh. Her thoughts were interrupted with she felt her cell phone vibrate. “ _Good thing I remembered to silence it before the ceremony started_.”

Surreptitiously she pulled it out and opened the text.

*****EMERGENCY! CALL!*****

“ _Who would send such a message?”_ she considered. She looked at the sender and paled. “ _What could be wrong at the courthouse that Masaki would send such a message?_ ”

Haruhi slipped silently out of the auditorium and called Masaki as soon as she was out the door.

“What’s the emergency, Masaki?” Haruhi asked anxiously.

“I knew you would want to know about this as soon as possible,” Masaki said in a hush. “An Otori lawyer is here filing paperwork to disown Kyoya.”

Haruhi gasped and covered her mouth. Once she caught her breath, she replied, “Masaki, thank you for letting me know.”

“What do you plan to do?” Masaki asked nervously.

She took a deep breath. “I need to call Hinansho for a car to pick me up from Ouran and then pick Kyoya up from his apartment. I’ll need Tachibana and my father to bring the adoption papers,” she muttered.

Masaki asked, “Should I expect you soon?”

Recognizing the nervousness in his voice, Haruhi said gently, “We will be there within the hour. I really appreciate your notifying me of this situation.”

“Anything for you, Haruhi,” he replied. “I look forward to seeing you soon.”

“I look forward to seeing you soon as well. Goodbye.” She ended the call and tapped her phone against her chin, sorting methodically through the steps required to remedy the situation.

Next, she called the front desk at Hinansho.

“Hinansho. How may I help you?” Hibiki said as she answered the phone.

“Hibiki, this is Haruhi. I need Atsuhiro to pick me up at the front gates of Ouran.”

“I’m sorry, Haruhi,” Hibiki replied. “He left about ten minutes ago. He said something about an emergency and he didn’t know when he would be back as he practically ran past me.”

Heaving a sigh, Haruhi said, “Okay. Is Tachibana available?”

“I believe so. Let me connect you,” Hibiki said before she transferred the call.

“Tachibana here,” he answered.

“This is Haruhi. I’ll explain on the drive to Kyoya’s apartment, but right now I need you to bring my father and the adoption papers for Kyoya and pick me up at the front gates of Ouran,” she said in a rush.

“On our way. It should only be ten minutes,” Tachibana informed her, sensing the urgency of the situation from her tone.

<OHSHC>

“Okay, Tamaki, listen closely. This is what I need you to do. In fifteen minutes, I want you to go to the men’s room. There is a maintenance door in the back corner. Once you’re sure it’s empty of everyone but you, knock on that door three times. I have a friend who will be waiting there to open the door for you and lead you to a secluded corner of the baggage area. I’ll be there to pick you up as soon as I can.”

Tamaki took a deep breath. “Okay, I can do that. Thanks, Atsuhiro,” he replied, his spirits beginning to rise.

“I need to hang up soon so I can call my friend to make the arrangements. After that, I’ll call Kyoya to meet us at the courthouse with the adoption paperwork and signatories. Don’t worry. We’re all here for you,” Atsuhiro assured him. “Just remember, wait fifteen minutes.”

“Thanks,” Tamaki sighed.

Ending the call, Atsuhiro told the phone to call his friend at the airport. As soon as he answered, Atsuhiro explained the plan and the timing.

<OHSHC>

After calling Kyoya to apprise him of the situation, Haruhi paced back and forth at the front gate of Ouran. “ _I hope they get here soon. I told Masaki within the hour._ ”

Suddenly, she hit her forehead with the heel of her hand. “ _I need to let Fuyumi and the twins know that I left the ceremony.”_ She quickly composed and sent a text.

*****Emergency at the courthouse. Details later.*****

Just as she pressed ‘Send,’ Tachibana pulled up and Ryoji jumped out. Grabbing Haruhi into a crushing hug, he babbled, “What’s the emergency? Are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Haruhi rolled her eyes as she gently, but firmly, extracted herself from her father’s grip. “I’m fine, Dad. Let’s get in the car and I’ll explain on the way to Kyoya’s apartment.”

She proceeded to tell them about Masaki’s text and the ensuing phone call. “Yoshio is up to something and I don’t like it,” Haruhi stated vehemently.

Tachibana interjected, “When I drove Kyoya to his apartment this morning, he mentioned that his father was acting…strange.”

“Maybe disowning him is the first step in some bigger plan,” Ryoji suggested.

“If it is, I’m not going to let him get away with it,” Haruhi stated bluntly.

After a few moments of silence as they each thought about the situation and the potential implications, Haruhi asked, “Tachibana, did you bring the paperwork?”

“No need. Kyoya has all of it with him,” he replied.

“Good,” she said absentmindedly and went back to her contemplations.

<OHSHC>

Tamaki sat surreptitiously watching the clock while Haruna and Sakura chattered on about their plans for their term abroad. When it was time according to Atsuhiro’s plan, Tamaki excused himself. “My lovely ladies, I feel the need to freshen up before we board the plane. If you would please excuse me.” He kissed each of their hands before slipping away.

He sauntered to the men’s room and disappeared inside. He glanced around to be sure no one would find his actions suspicious. Then he searched carefully to be absolutely sure he was alone before he knocked on the maintenance door three times.

“Hurry up,” a voice hissed as a hand beckoned to Tamaki. Before the door closed and cut off the light, the person placed a finger to his lips to request quiet.

Tamaki nodded in acknowledgement and followed Atsuhiro’s friend.

Ten minutes later, Tamaki’s guide stopped at a door and pulled out a key ring. Unlocking the door, the guide opened it a crack and looked around to be sure they would not be seen.

Assured that the coast was clear, the guide gestured for Tamaki to follow him. Once they were away from the door, Atsuhiro’s friend assumed a relaxed, casual gait as he walked toward a pair of baggage carts.

Tamaki started to follow suit when he clamped his hands over his mount to suppress a cry of relief when he saw Atsuhiro waiting for him.

Removing his hands and trying to exude a casual attitude, he walked over and whispered, “Thank you for coming.”

The guide gave them a thumbs-up before he headed back into the shadows of the baggage handling area.

<OHSHC>

The car had barely stopped before Haruhi jumped out and headed into the apartment building. Rather than wait for the elevator, she dashed up the stairs. Stopping outside Kyoya’s door, she took a deep breath to regain her composure.

Kyoya opened the door as soon as Haruhi knocked. “I have the paperwork,” he said, patting his briefcase.

Ignoring his words and the briefcase he was holding, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him for a minute.

He put down his briefcase and rubbed her back, murmuring, “Sh. It’s going to be okay.”

“I know,” she whispered into his chest. “I was just worried that he might have had someone come here and take you away.”

Chuckling, he responded, “You have such an imagination. Though it has come in handy a lot during the past eighteen months.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I’m okay now,” Haruhi said softly. “We should head to the court….”

The ringing of Kyoya’s phone interrupted her. “It’s Atsuhiro.”

“You better answer that. Hibiki said he ran out of Hinansho this morning talking about an emergency,” Haruhi prompted.

“Hello?” Kyoya answered.

“Hey, Kyoya, I need you to meet me at the courthouse with the paperwork to remove Tamaki from the Suoh registry and add him to the Hinan,” Atsuhiro said urgently.

“Why?” Kyoya pressed.

Atsuhiro huffed distractedly. “I don’t have time to explain right now. We’ll give you the whole story when we see you.”

“Very well. You caught us just in time,” Kyoya responded. “We were on our way to the courthouse on other business, so we’ll meet you there.”

“I have to go. See you soon,” Atsuhiro said absentmindedly as he ended the call.

Haruhi looked at Kyoya quizzically.

“Just a moment, I have to get Tamaki’s paperwork,” Kyoya informed her before he headed back into the apartment.

While she waited for him to return, she picked up his briefcase to give her hands something to do. When he returned with two folders, she held the briefcase out horizontally so he could open it and place the new files inside.

“Thank you,” he said as he latched the briefcase and took it from her grip. “It appears there are many plans afoot today that need to be thwarted.” He continued to hold her hand as they headed to the waiting car.

<OHSHC>

The opening ceremony at Ouran finally ended and Fuyumi was busy trying to corral Ageha and Hibiki as they ran about trying to see everything at once. They were restless from being forced to sit quietly for such a long time. “Girls, if you will give me a minute to ask the twins to keep an eye on Masaya, I’ll take you to your classroom and introduce you to your teacher.”

Fuyumi pulled out her phone and notice the message from Haruhi. “ _What sort of emergency could there be at the courthouse that requires her presence?”_ she wondered.

She was just about to dial Hikaru’s number when the twins stepped up on either side of her and purred together, “Looking for us?”

“Actually, yes. Would you two keep an eye on Masaya while I take the girls to meet their teacher?” Fuyumi asked. “And try to stay out of trouble. I know that’s difficult, but you are seniors now and you need to set a good example.”

Hikaru pouted, “You take all the fun out of it.”

“Where is Masaya anyway?” Kaoru asked.

Looking around, she finally spotted Masaya talking to some of his classmates from last year. “He’s right over there,” Fuyumi said, gesturing to a nearby hallway.

The girls were getting impatient, but Fuyumi turned to the twins. “Hey, do you guys know why Haruhi had to go to the courthouse for an emergency?”

“Not a clue. We figured she’d tell us at lunch,” Hikaru replied unconcernedly.

Fuyumi shrugged. “Okay. Well, I don’t know how long it will take with the girls’ teacher, so let’s meet up at the front gate later. Then we can call Atsuhiro to pick us up.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kaoru confirmed.

“Come on girls,” Fuyumi called. “Let’s go see your classroom and meet your teacher.”

“Yay!” Hibiki and Ageha yelled.

Fuyumi shook her head. “What am I going to do with those two?”

When Fuyumi and the girls got to the front gates twenty minutes later, the boys were surrounded by a small crowd of high school girls. “So, what’s going on here?” she teased.

Hikaru blushed as Kaoru answered, “The girls were expressing their disappointment that there will be no Host Club this year, especially with such a cute trainee.” He gestured to Masaya who was being fawned over by a dozen high school girls.”

Playing along, Fuyumi said, “Well, it will be a few years before he can join the ranks of a high school club, given that he’s a third year in elementary.”

“I’ll call Hinansho to send Atsuhiro to pick us up while you say goodbye to your friends,” Fuyumi said, smiling.

“Hello, Hibiki. Could you have Atsuhiro pick us up?” Fuyumi asked.

“I’m sorry. He left this morning for an emergency,” Hibiki replied.

Fuyumi said, “Oh, that’s right. Haruhi had an emergency at the courthouse…”

HIbiki interrupted, “Actually, Tachibana took Haruhi to the courthouse. Atsuhiro left earlier.”

“Well, this is turning into an interesting day,” Fuyumi mused. “Why don’t you transfer me to the Security Office and I’ll see if Hotta or Aijima has someone they can send to pick us up.”

<OHSHC>

Tachibana parked in the lot for the courthouse. “Let’s wait here for Atsuhiro to arrive with Tamaki,” Kyoya suggested. On the drive from the apartment, he had passed along what Atsuhiro was able to tell him about Tamaki’s situation.

Haruhi practically growled. “I cannot believe that Shizue would do that to him. I mean, I know she doesn’t like him, but to drop him in France with nothing. And no idea if his mother is still there since he hasn’t been allowed to contact her in the four years he’s been in Japan.”

Kyoya slipped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “It is a credit that you are so protective of your friends. If you weren’t, we wouldn’t have the Hinan family as a refuge from such callous treatment by our families.”

“To be fair, the twins and Ageha had loving parents. They were saved from the callous treatment of the government,” Haruhi clarified.

Before Kyoya could riposte, Atsuhiro parked next to them. “Well, time to throw a monkey wrench into the plans of Shizue and my father, whatever they may be,” Kyoya stated as everyone climbed out of the cars.

Tamaki gasped and pulled Haruhi into a tight hug. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here, okaa-san! Did you hear about my plight and come to rescue me?”

Pushing him off firmly, Haruhi responded, “I didn’t know you were in trouble until I was at the apartment picking up Kyoya. Masaki texted me about an emergency at the courthouse.”

“What emergency?” Tamaki demanded.

“I have been disowned,” Kyoya stated dryly.

“What?” Atsuhiro chimed in.

Tachibana took command. “I suggest that we get into the courthouse and take care of business. We can tell all the stories during lunch.”

“Good plan,” Ryoji reinforced.

Masaki’s relief was evident on his face when they trooped into the filing office. Other than his supervisor working in her office, there was no one else in the room.

“Thank you for getting here so promptly,” Masaki said. “After years of dealing with Rena’s machinations, I could tell that something was off when the Otori lawyer filed the papers to disown Kyoya.”

Haruhi smiled at him. “I really appreciate your diligence. We discovered that there is another problem as well. Let’s start with the paperwork to remove Tamaki from the Suoh registry.”

“Certainly,” Masaki agreed, turning to his computer. After a few keystrokes, he frowned. “That can’t be right,” he mumbled to himself. “Let me try something else.” The lines in his forehead grew deeper as he continued to type.

“I don’t understand,” he finally said. “There is no Tamaki listed on the Suoh registry.”

Tamaki looked puzzled. “There’s no Rene Tamaki Richard de Grantaine Suoh?”

“She never put you on the family registry,” Kyoya growled. “Tamaki Suoh never really existed according to Japanese law.”

“I was just a fiction create by my father and grandmother? I’ve spent the last four years as an…illusion of the Suoh heir? It was all just a pretense?” he whispered, shaken to his core by the news.

Kyoya and Haruhi each placed a hand on his shoulders, given him some grounding for the earth-shattering information he had just been presented.

Haruhi watched the expression on Tamaki’s face harden and he ground out, “Well, that means one less step I’ll have to take. Though it will mean filling out new paperwork.”

“Why?” Haruhi asked, a little worried by his expression and tone.

“Because I want my new name to be Rene Richard de Grantaine Hinan.” His expression softened slightly. “You don’t mind, do you? Okaa-san? Otou-san?”

Haruhi and Kyoya exchanged glances before Haruhi responded, “If that is what you want, then you shall be Rene.”

Kyoya gripped his shoulder. “It will give you a fresh start while keeping your connection to your mother. It won’t take much to change the name.” He pulled out his laptop, opened the appropriate file, and made the changes.

Masaki handed Kyoya a small slip of paper. “Here’s the email address you can send it to so I can print it out.”

“Thank you. That would be most convenient,” Kyoya responded.

Within minutes the paperwork was printed and ready for Tachibana and Ryoji signatures. “Everything is in order. Just sign on the appropriate lines and I’ll get this entered into the computer right away.”

“Gladly,” Ryoji said vehemently and signed with a flourish before handing the pen to Tachibana.

“Here you are,” Tachibana stated, handing the paperwork back to Masaki. Then he turned to Kyoya. “Let’s get yours signed and taken care of as well. I’ll feel much better when it’s all entered into the computer and finalized.”

“At least Father already took care of the first part by disowning me,” Kyoya chuckled mirthlessly. He pulled the paperwork out of his briefcase and handed it to Ryoji.

While the others were completing the paperwork, Haruhi walked over and knocked on the supervisor’s door. “Excuse me,” she asked politely.

“May I help you?” she said, looking up from her computer and waving her into the office.

“I’m Haruhi Fujioka. I wanted to know if Masaki could take his lunch hour a little early?” Haruhi inquired.

Looking around the room, the supervisor replied, “It has been rather slow today. I see no reason why not.” She smiled. “I’ve seen you around the courthouse a lot during the past year.”

“Yes, I have been interning with Mr. Naruse’s law firm,” Haruhi confirmed.

“Well, I have noticed that you don’t act like most of the people who spend a lot of time at a courthouse. You treat everyone as equals. That’s a rather refreshing attitude.”

Before they could continue their conversation, Masaki knocked on the supervisor’s door.

“Yes?” the supervisor acknowledged.

“May I leave early for lunch? My friends have invited me out,” he responded.

The supervisor smiled. “I already gave permission when Haruhi asked. Have a good lunch and don’t worry if you come back a little late.”

As the group headed off to have lunch, Kyoya said, “Tamaki--Rene, you do realize that this means we have to contact the University about our name changes.”

Rene groaned. “I guess we have a busy week ahead of us.”

<OHSHC>

After lunch, the group walked Masaki back to the courthouse.

“I’ll keep Haruhi apprised of any further developments,” Masaki promised.

“Thank you for all your help today,” Haruhi said, smiling brightly at him and making him blush.

The others chuckled at Haruhi’s effect on the courthouse clerk.

Atsuhiro spoke up. “I’ll take Kyoya and Rene back to their apartment. I want to hear more about Rene’s adventure at the airport. We’ll be sure to tell Mitsukuni and Takashi about all the activities this morning.”

Tachibana nodded. “I will inform the staff at Hinansho. Ryoji, would you and Haruhi please inform the Shido family and the twins?”

“No problem,” Ryoji replied.

<OHSHC>

Ryoji had just finished explaining the morning excitement to the twins and the Shido family when Haruhi received a text from Masaki.

*****New development. Please call.*****

She quickly dialed his number. “What’s up?”

“You would not believe who was just here,” Masaki responded.

“Who?” Haruhi asked, curious.

“The Suoh family lawyer. He was trying to file adoption papers for Kyoya. He was quite upset to find Kyoya had already been adopted,” Masaki said with a chuckle.

Haruhi grinned. “Interesting. I’ll pass the information along to Kyoya and Rene. With the events of today, it almost sounds like Yoshio sold Kyoya to Shizue as a replacement for Tamaki—Rene.”

Masaki said thoughtfully, “I’ll keep my ears open for any public information request for adoption records for Kyoya. That should give you a heads-up if they try anything more.”

“You don’t know how much this means to me, Masaki,” Haruhi replied. “You take care. Thanks for all your help. Good night.”

“Good night,” Masaki said as he ended the call.

<OHSHC>

“WHAT!?!?!” demanded Shizue.

Her lawyer cringed at the fury in her steely tone and expression. He gulped before saying, “When I tried to file the adoption papers for Kyoya, I was informed that he had already been adopted.”

“HOW!?!? Who found out about Kyoya being disowned?” Shizue seethed.

“The clerk refused to give me any information. He just stated that Kyoya was on a family registry. Therefore he was not available to be adopted unless paperwork was filed to remove him from the current registry.”

“Yoshio! He must have taken advantage of the situation and negotiated a higher price for Kyoya from someone else. I’ll teach him to trifle with me,” Shizue stated coldly, glaring at the lawyer. “You may go, for now.”

The lawyer backed out of the office as quickly as he could without appearing to hurry.

Shizue picked up the phone and ordered, “Call Yoshio and tell him to come to my office immediately.”

<OHSHC>

“What is the meaning of summoning me like some lowly lackey?” Yoshio demanded as soon as he was escorted into Shizue’s office.

“Tell me who you made a deal with for Kyoya?” Shizue commanded.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Yoshio growled, placing his fists on her desk, and leaning forward.

“Don’t you? When my lawyer went to the courthouse to file the adoption papers for Kyoya, he was informed that he had already been added to a registry and was unavailable to be adopted.” Shizue was livid and anger was rolling off her in waves. “Who did you tell?”

Yoshio stood to his full height. “I told no one. Who did you tell?”

“Other than my lawyer and you, I have not discussed this with anyone,” Shizue stated bluntly. “Yuzuru doesn’t even know my plans.”

Yoshio countered, “Well, you and my lawyer were the only ones I discussed it with.”

“BAH! This is getting us nowhere,” Shizue said, aggravated about the situation.

Smirking, Yoshio said, “I guess the contract is null-and-void since Kyoya was adopted by someone else.”

Shizue stood and leveled a steely look at Yoshio. “Oh no it isn’t. The contract is still valid, and you have to comply, or I will sue you for breach.”

“How can I fulfill the contract if Kyoya has already been adopted by someone else?” Yoshio demanded.

“You didn’t read the contract very carefully, did you?” Shizue asked in a cold tone. “Kyoya was never mentioned by name. The contract stated ‘a son’ and you have two others.”

Yoshio huffed indignantly. “I still need an heir.”

“As I said and you well know, you have two other sons.” Shizue spoke with deadly calm. “You will disown Akito and I will adopt him. He is not my first choice, but he will do.”

Realizing that he was cornered by his own greed, Yoshio snarled, “Very well. I will have my lawyer file the paperwork tomorrow morning. Be sure your lawyer is there to file for the adoption, so it doesn’t get muffed this time.”

“We should both be there as well to be absolutely sure nothing else interferes,” Shizue clarified. “Now if you will excuse me, I have work to do.”

Yoshio scowled. “You were the one who pulled me away from my work.”

“Be that as it may, we are done for today,” Shizue stated. “Be ready tomorrow morning at nine. Have your lawyer with you. I will pick you up and we will meet my lawyer at the courthouse. We will take care of this once and for all.”

Just before Yoshio opened the door to leave, Shizue said, “And one more thing.”

Keeping a tight rein on his temper, Yoshio turned around and growled, “Yes?”

“Erase all traces of Tamaki from the Otori medical databases and any other databases you have access to. He’s been shipped back to France and I don’t want any trace of him left in Japan. I will deal with the Ouran database myself,” Shizue ordered.

“Very well,” Yoshio answered through gritted teeth as he closed the door behind him.


	15. Interlude - Meanwhile in France

Catherine Touren-Grosseau was engrossed in the file of Anne-Sophie de Grantaine. “ _It’s been six months since Anne-Sophie died and I still haven’t been able to locate her son yet. I have exhausted all of the contacts listed in Paris. Maybe I need to start back at the point where he went to live with his father._ ”

Pulling out a new legal pad, she flipped back to the beginning of the de Grantaine file. “ _Let‘s see. Rene’s full name is Rene Tamaki Richard de Grantaine. His father is Yuzuru Suoh and he lives in Tokyo, Japan. He was the headmaster at Ouran Academy when he took custody four years ago_.” She made several notes of dates to check flight manifests.

_“That means he should have graduated from high school last spring. Maybe I should start there. Given that his father was headmaster of Ouran Academy, that’s most likely where he attended school_.” Catherine reached for the intercom. “Amelie, please come in. I have some tasks for you.”

Amelie entered the office with a notepad and pen in her hand. “What is it you need me to do?” she asked. Before Catherine could respond, the phone rang. Amelie picked it up and said, “Good afternoon, this is the office of Catherine Touren-Grosseau, attorney.”

“This is Reynard Houshakuji. I wish to speak to Mlle. Touren-Grosseau regarding the estate of Anne-Sophie de Grantaine,” the caller said.

“One moment please,” Amelie said, looking to Catherine. She nodded and held her hand out for the phone.

“Good afternoon, this is Catherine Touren-Grosseau. How may I help you?” she responded.

“This is Reynard Houshakuji and I’m calling to check on your progress in locating Anne-Sophie’s son.”

Catherine sighed. “I have still been unable to locate Rene de Grantaine. I am currently going back to the point where his father took custody. I’m hoping to find clues in the move to Japan that will help me locate him.”

Reynard replied, “I may be able to help you. While cleaning out the room she used while she was staying with me, we found some papers. They may hold clues to help you locate him.”

“When can you bring them?” Catherine asked excitedly. “Maybe those papers will have the information I need to make a breakthrough.”

“Let me check my calendar,” Reynard answered. After a few minutes, he said, “I have a meeting starting in half an hour that will run into the late evening. How about tomorrow morning at nine?”

Catherine checked her calendar. “That works for me. Would you have some time to remain and give me some background information?”

“I would be delighted. I have nothing else scheduled until after lunch,” Reynard replied. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

<OHSHC>

Reynard arrived precisely at nine o’clock and Amelie immediately led him to Mlle. Touren-Grosseau’s office. “Thank you for coming,” Catherine said, rising to greet him.

“It is my pleasure,” Reynard replied. He handed her a manila envelope. “Here are the papers found in the room Anne-Sophie used. Hopefully, you can find some useful clues in these.”

“Please have a seat,” Catherine said, smiling. “How well did you know her?”

“Our families have been long-time friends and business associates. I have known Anne-Sophie since she was a young girl. I remember when she met Yuzuru Suoh. He was charming and swept her off her feet. Her family was scandalized when their intimate relationship became evident,” Reynard began.

“Why didn’t he marry her, given the state of their relationship? If I may be so bold to ask,” Catherine inquired.

“He had a wife back in Japan. A marriage arranged by his mother and her father for business reasons only. Otherwise, Yuzuru would have married Anne-Sophie right away. Instead, they rarely saw one another after that,” Reynard explained.

Catherine pondered that information for a moment. “So why did the father take custody four years ago?”

Reynard sighed. “Five years ago, Anne-Sophie’s health began to decline. Unfortunately, at the same time the fortunes of the de Grantaine family began to decline as well. When Yuzuru came to visit, he wanted to help Anne-Sophie and Rene but his mother, Shizue, refused—at first.”

“And…” Catherine prompted.

“Well, after seventeen years, Yuzuru’s marriage still failed to produce an heir. Shizue grudgingly agreed to allow Yuzuru to bring his bastard son to Japan to see if he could be trained to take over the Suoh family business. In exchange, the Suoh family would pay the medical expenses for Anne-Sophie’s treatment. However, Rene would not be allowed to see his mother or return to France,” Reynard continued.

“Everyone agreed to this arrangement?” Catherine asked, skeptically.

Reynard shook his head. “Rene agreed to it for the sake of his mother. It was an incredibly difficult decision for someone so young to make.”

The pair sat in silence for several minutes, contemplating the sad story of Anne-Sophie, Yuzuru, and Rene.

Finally, Catherine asked, “How did she come to be living with you?”

“After Anne-Sophie had recovered, somewhat, she took a position as a housekeeper for the Tonnerre household. A year-and-a-half ago, there was some business deal that the Tonnerres were trying to make in Japan. It did not go well, and when Éclair, the daughter, returned, she promptly dismissed Anne-Sophie. Although the fortunes of the de Grantaine family had improved, she did not feel comfortable returning to the family home after all that had happened,” Reynard explained.

“Did anything of note happen while she was living with you?” Catherine inquired.

“No. Her health simply continued to decline until her death last February. Maybe there will be something in those papers,” Reynard replied, standing to leave. “If there is nothing more I can provide, I will leave you to peruse them. Feel free to call me if you have any questions. I am anxious for Rene to receive the legacy his mother left for him.”

Catherine rose and shook his hand. “Thank you for coming. I do hope that I will be able to locate Rene soon. I will keep you apprised of my progress. Have a good day.”

After Reynard left, Catherine pulled the papers from the manila envelope. Before she started reading, she called Amelie into her office.

“Yes? You need me?” Amelie asked.

Catherine nodded. “Were you able to get those flight manifests from four years ago that I asked?”

“I contacted the airport and had them check the range of dates you gave me. There was no Rene de Grantaine on any of the flights. However, there were a number of private planes that flew out during that time, one of which was owned by the Suoh Group,” Amelie reported.

“So, he left on a private flight. Were you able to confirm that Tokyo was the destination?” Catherine inquired.

“Yes, the airport did confirm the Suoh flight plan terminus was Tokyo,” Amelie said.

Catherine nodded. “That puts Rene in Tokyo four years ago. I’ll run a search in the Tokyo educational database. I wonder how difficult it will be to obtain a court order for medical records.”

“I’ll get the database search started. Then I’ll research Japanese law regarding court orders for medical records,” Amelie noted.

“Thanks. I’ll start reading through these papers from her room. Maybe there will be clues regarding where to look for Rene,” Catherine responded.

Minutes later, both women were immersed in their respective tasks.

<OHSHC>

Two days later, Catherine found a clue in the papers from Anne-Sophie’s room. It was an article from a Japanese newspaper with a photo of a group of seven young men. Anne-Sophie had written on the clipping, “My little boy has grown up so much.” Catherine couldn’t make heads-or-tails of the article or the attached note because both were in Japanese.

Pressing the intercom button, Catherine called for Amelie. “Do we have a Japanese translator in our contact file?”

“Yes, we do,” Amelie affirmed. “Do you want me to schedule an appointment?”

“Yes, please,” Catherine responded. “I think I may have found a break in the case.”

Fifteen minutes later, Amelie buzzed the intercom. Catherine acknowledged, “Yes?”

“The translator has an hour this afternoon at three. I already booked the time,” Amelie reported.

“Thank you. We may be able to finally make some progress if the article has any relevant information.” Catherine said with a sigh of relief.

Fifteen minutes to three, a young Japanese woman walked into the office and approached the secretary. “I am Kozue Yoshizumi, the translator you requested.”

“Thank you for coming so promptly,” Amelie replied. “Let me take you in.”

Amelie knocked lightly on the door and then opened it at Catherine’s ‘Come in.’ “The translator has arrived,” Amelie announced. “This is Kozue Yoshizumi,” she introduced.

Catherine rose and said, “I am Catherine Touren-Grosseau. Thank you for fitting us into your schedule.”

“Not a problem,” Kozue responded with a smile. “What do you need translated?”

“Please have a seat.” Catherine handed her the article and attached note. “I’m hoping these will give me some clues to the whereabouts of the late Anne-Sophie de Grantaine’s son. She left a legacy for him when she died six months ago, and I have been unable to locate him.”

“The son’s full name?” Kozue inquired.

“Rene Tamaki Richard de Grantaine. He may be using his father’s family name, Suoh,” Catherine explained.

“Ah, elite families involved. That would explain the article,” Kozue postulated.

“Why?” Catherine was puzzled by the translator’s comment.

“This is a school newspaper from Ouran High School. That is a very elite institution. It is run by the Suoh family, one of the most elite of Japan. The photo caption identifies the members as the Ouran High School Host Club and the article highlights their contributions to the Ouran Fair. It is dated eighteen months ago,” Kozue clarified.

“And the note?” Catherine prompted.

Kozue studied the note and article for a few minutes. “Apparently, the note was written by the Host Club’s vice president, Kyoya Otori. Kyoya states that he knows Tamaki is not allowed to contact Anne-Sophie, but he, Kyoya, wanted her to know that her son was doing well.”

Catherine gasped. “That’s why I haven’t been able to find Rene after six months. I’ve been looking for him under the wrong name.”

The translator confirmed. “The name of the young man the mother’s note refers to as ‘my little boy’ is listed as Tamaki Suoh. He must be doing well.” She pointed to the second shortest boy in the photo. “Other than Haruhi Fujioka, these are all top elite families. In addition to Otori, there is Haninozuka, Morinozuka, and Hitachiin.”

“I’m sorry. None of those names mean anything to me, though the name ‘Hitachiin’ sounds familiar for some reason,” Catherine pondered.

Kozue chuckled. “I’m not surprised you recognize the Hitachiin name. I believe the scarf you’re wearing is one of their designs.”

“Of course, how could I forget. It was global news six months ago when they were killed in the London terrorist bombing.” Catherine shook her head sadly.

“If that is all,” Kozue said, “I’ll be going. You’ll be billed for my standard fee.”

“It’s definitely worth it,” Catherine replied. “At least now I’ll be looking for the correct name.”

Catherine escorted Kozue out and then turned to Amelie. “We need to alter the search of the educational database. Rene is using the name ‘Tamaki Suoh’ in Japan.”

“That makes a big difference,” Amelie agreed as she pulled up the search and interrupted it to insert the new parameters.

<OHSHC>

Three days later, the database search confirmed that Tamaki Suoh had attended Ouran Academy for four years and had graduated the previous April. No further information could be found, not even his University enrollment.

Catherine placed a long distance call to Ouran Academy and requested to speak to Yuzuru Suoh. After a brief wait, he answered, “How may I help you?”

“Mr. Suoh, my name is Catherine Touren-Grosseau. I am an attorney representing the estate of the late Anne-Sophie de Grantaine,” the attorney introduced herself.

Yuzuru drew a breath in shock. “Late Anne-Sophie de Grantaine? When did she die?”

Catherine’s voice softened. “My condolences for your loss. It was six months ago.”

“Why are you just calling now?” Yuzuru demanded, without any heat or malice.

“I have been searching for her son, Rene. She left him a legacy and I want to be sure he gets it,” the attorney responded.

“Rene?” he asked questioningly. Then it dawned on him. “Oh, you mean Tamaki.”

“Yes, of course. Do you have his contact number?” Catherine prompted.

“I haven’t been able to get through to him since he moved into his University apartment with this best friend, Kyoya. He probably broke his phone again and forgot to send me his new number. Let me give you Kyoya’s number. He should be able to help you get in touch with Tamaki,” Yuzuru said distractedly.

“That would be greatly appreciated.” The attorney pulled a pad a paper close and wrote down the phone number the headmaster gave her. “Thank you for your assistance.”

“Glad to help,” Yuzuru said before he ended the call.

Catherine immediately dialed the number the head master gave her. After two rings, a young male voice answered in Japanese. “ _I should have thought of that. I guess since Yuzuru spoke French, I assumed Kyoya would as well. Maybe he does. I’ll just have to ask.”_

“I’m sorry. I don’t speak Japanese. Do you speak French?” Catherine asked, hoping he did.

“Yes, I can converse passably in French. How may I help you?” Kyoya switched to accented, but understandable French.

“I am trying to contact Tamaki Suoh. His father said he was your roommate and gave me your contact information,” Catherine explained.

Kyoya paused. “ _I don’t know who this is and I don’t think trusting her would be a good idea until I have time to investigate. With all that Shizue put Rene through, there is no way I am going to divulge any information about him.”_

Finally, he responded, “Tamaki Suoh was supposed to be my roommate but he disappeared the day we were to move in. My new roommate is Rene Hinan. I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

“Thank you for your time,” Catherine said before she hung up. “ _That’s odd. Tamaki Suoh disappeared and his father didn’t even know. How can that be? Something fishy is going on.”_

Shuffling through the papers, Catherine tried to gather her thoughts. “ _It’s a long shot, but maybe I should contact Shizue. It sounds like she’s the controlling force of the Suoh family. Perhaps she has some additional information.”_

Catherine located the matriarch’s phone number and dialed. After a few rings, a receptionist answered in Japanese.

“Do you speak French?” Catherine asked.

“Of course,” the receptionist responded fluently. “How may I help you?”

“I am an attorney in Paris and I need to speak to Shizue Suoh,” Catherine responded.

“One moment, please. I will see if she is available.” Hold music began to issue from the phone.

The music ended abruptly and Catherine heard, “This is Shizue Suoh. Whom are you representing?”

“I represent the estate of Anne-Sophie de Grantaine. I am trying to locate Tamaki Suoh. She left him a legacy,” Catherine reported.

“He wanted to see his mother so I had him shipped back to her in France. I haven’t heard anything about him since my chauffeur dropped him off at the airport last week,” Shizue stated bluntly.

“Thank you for your time,” Catherine responded as she ended the call. She stared at the phone for several minutes, confused by the information she had gleaned from the three phone calls.

“ _This case just gets stranger and stranger. I finally have what I think is a viable lead and it dissipates like smoke on a windy day. His father thinks he’s at University. His University roommate says he never showed up. His grandmother says he went to his mother in France. Obviously, someone is lying.”_

Pressing the intercom button, Catherine asked Amelie to come into her office.

“What do you need?” Amelie asked.

“I need you to contact the airport again and see if Rene de Grantaine or Tamaki Suoh or some such combination of his names, arrived in Paris last week. I think we also need to contact the translator again and have her contact the Tokyo airport to ask if he flew out of there last week. Possibly his destination was somewhere other than France, though that was what he led his grandmother to believe,” Catherine directed.

Amelie made notes of the tasks. “So the clues didn’t pan out?” she asked.

“They did and they didn’t. Something is not right. I just can’t put my finger on it,” Catherine responded. “Someone is hiding something about Rene—or Tamaki. I’m just not sure who or why, but I intend to get to the bottom of it.”


	16. Settling In

Kyoya stood back as Rene knocked on the door of Mitsukuni and Takashi’s apartment. “Don’t you think it’s a little early to be visiting?”

“Not at all, mon ami,” Rene replied. “They’ve probably been up for hours.”

“Point taken,” Kyoya sighed. “But I meant it’s a little early for me.”

“Oh, I thought you got plenty of sleep last night,” Rene said, cocking his head a looking at his best friend curiously.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kyoya said, “We all process change differently. This upheaval has drained my energy. I anticipate it will until I can find a sense of equilibrium again.”

Rene looked bemused. “Maybe that’s why I feel like I can’t sit still. I need to do something to find my equilibrium too.” His tone turned serious. “Some of the revelations yesterday completely shattered my world.”

During their conversation, Mitsukuni opened the door. “Do you guys need something?” he asked during a pause.

“Yes,” Rene announced. “We were hoping you could help us through the process of getting our names changed on our University records.”

Mitsukuni smiled and waved them inside. “Of course, Takashi and I would be happy to help you with that. Tamaki—I mean, Rene, it should be easy because you haven’t begun classes yet. Kyoya, yours will be a little more complicated since you will have to be sure the credits you’ve already earned are associated with your new name.”

“I really appreciate this, guys,” Rene responded. “I would be lost without your help.”

Kyoya nodded his agreement, distractedly. “Thank you for taking the time.”

“Is there a problem?” Takashi prodded, noticing Kyoya’s melancholy expression.

Shaking his head, Kyoya replied, “It’s ironic. This summer, I started planning to remove myself from the Otori registry the day after my eighteenth birthday. I even told Tachibana of my plans the morning he drove me to the apartment. But for all that, it seems so strange that I am no longer an Otori.”

Takashi clapped him on the shoulder. “I understand. It’s the same thing Mitsukuni and I went through. For all of us, our family name has been an essential part of our identity. Whether you decide to relinquish your family name like I did with ‘Morinozuka’ or you have it ripped away as ‘Otori’ was when your father disowned you, it still leaves a hole that must be dealt with. Don’t worry, we’ll be here for you just as Haruhi and the twins were there for us this summer.”

“It’s quite a reality shift,” Mitsukuni added. “It takes time to adapt. You have to examine all your assumptions and beliefs to determine whether they fit with your new reality.”

Nodding, Takashi continued, “Certain expectations that you were raised with will no longer apply. Like Rene’s decision to change his name, there may be parts of your old life that you no longer want or need. As he did with the name Tamaki Suoh, you may have things from your past life that you want to alter or leave behind.”

“Just remember, we are all here for you as you discover just who Kyoya Hinan and Rene Hinan are,” Mitsukuni finished.

Rene flung his arms around all of them and cried, “You’re the best brothers I’ve ever had.”

“We’re the only brothers you’ve ever had,” Kyoya stated dryly, though he reveled in the close bonds he was developing with his new family.

“Don’t forget the twins,” Takashi added.

“And Usa-chan,” Mitsukuni finished, laughing heartily.

<OHSHC>

“Hey guys,” Haruhi said, “I’ll meet you at our next class. I have something I need to do during lunch.”

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a glance. “What are you up to?” Hikaru asked.

“It’s just something I need to do, and I don’t want to draw attention,” Haruhi explained.

“It’s not something dangerous, immoral, or illegal, is it?” Kaoru teased.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing like that. I just want to talk to Yasuchika and Satoshi. I don’t know how the Haninozukas and Morinozukas will react to my contacting them.”

“Look, they don’t know you’re affiliated with the Hinan family, so what’s the problem?” Hikaru asked.

“Yeah,” Kaoru added. “Ryo Naruse is the only one outside of Hinansho management that knows the Hinan family was your creation.”

“Point taken. I still feel responsible.”

The twins stood on either side of her and wrapped their arms around her shoulders. “It’s not like you created the Hinan family to entice rich young men away from their families for your own pleasure or nefarious gain,” they purred in unison.

“Or did you?” Hikaru asked with a smirk, waggling his eyebrows.

She swatted at the pair. “I don’t have a lot of time. I’ll see you after lunch.” She walked away shaking her head. _“I’ll try the karate dojo first. That’s probably the most likely place to find Yasuchika_.”

Haruhi had just arrived at the door to the dojo when she heard raised voices from inside.

“...care what Father says. I want to know how Mitsukuni is doing. I haven’t seen him since that weekend after our fight. He didn’t look good then and it worried me. Father refuses to explain what happened or why he removed his name from the family registry.” Haruhi recognized the voice as Yasuchika.

Therefore, it must have been Satoshi who responded, “Are you sure she’ll know? I mean, yeah, she was in the Host Club and hung around them, but were they even close? Wouldn’t the twins know more since they’re brothers now?”

“Father specifically forbade me from talking to the twins. He’s sure they are the ones who convinced the Hinan family to adopt Mitsukuni. Hopefully, Haruhi will at least have their contact information even though the Host Club has been discontinued,” Yasuchika explained.

Embarrassed at her eavesdropping, Haruhi knocked on the door. Satoshi opened the door, and without looking, said, “The dojo is unavailable right now. Come back after classes this afternoon.”

Haruhi chuckled, “Actually, I’m looking for you two.”

Satoshi turned around and blushed. “Forgive me. I was expecting someone else…well, anyone else.”

Yasuchika pushed around Satoshi and asked urgently, “How is Mitsukuni doing? Father refused to tell me anything and forbade anyone in the household from talking about him.”

“He’s doing well,” Haruhi assured him with a smile. “How have you been doing? Did the arm and ribs heal well?”

Yasuchika looked a little confused and then it occurred to him that she knew about the fight and the broken bones even though the families had kept it quiet, passing his absences off as minor injuries during training. “I’m fine. I hardly ever think about them.”

She turned to Satoshi and asked, “How have you been? Takashi has been worried that his actions caused problems for you.”

Satoshi shrugged. “It’s still a little tense at home, both at the Morinozuka compound and the Haninozuka estate. Thankfully Komitsuzawa never caught wind of it and published it in his newspaper.”

Haruhi suppressed a small smile, realizing that no one figured out yet that Komitsuzawa no longer owned the newspaper.

Yasuchika reached into his satchel and pulled out an envelope. “Hey, Haruhi, could you see that Mitsukuni gets this?” he asked, handing it to her.

“Of course I will,” she replied, slipping it into her own satchel.

Satoshi looked around to be sure they were alone before he asked, “So, Haruhi, why do you still wear a male uniform? You’re not in the Host Club anymore.”

Haruhi laughed. “You’ve seen the yellow monstrosities they make the girls wear, and you can ask that? They are unflattering, impractical, and restrictive. This uniform is much more comfortable and versatile.”

“Point taken,” Satoshi confirmed.

Yasuchika glanced at the time. “The lunch hour is almost over. We need to get to our next class.”

“I’ll see you guys around,” Haruhi said.

“Thanks for helping us keep in touch with our brothers,” Satoshi replied.

“Yeah, I really appreciate it,” Yasuchika added. “Maybe we could meet sometime so you can tell us what happened, why Mitsukuni and Takashi left like they did.”

Haruhi looked pensive. “I’ll see what I can do. You both deserve to know what precipitated these events.” She pulled out her phone. “Why don’t you put your contact information in my phone and then I’ll know how to reach you.”

Taking the phone, Yasuchika entered his information and then passed it to Satoshi, who did the same.

“Please, don’t wait too long,” Satoshi asked plaintively. “We’ve been in the dark all summer. I would really appreciate knowing what happened and why.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Hopefully within the next week I can work things out so we can have lunch together privately,” Haruhi said. “Do you mind if the twins join us?”

Satoshi and Yasuchika exchanged glances, and Satoshi replied, “I don’t mind. Our parents don’t want us to associate with them, but we do all attend the same school and we will encounter one another on occasion.”

“True enough,” Haruhi allowed. “I’ll let you know soon when we can meet. Now off to your classes because I have to get to mine.”

The cousins waved goodbye and watched her walk away. Yasuchika mused aloud, “I understand why Mitsukuni and Takashi like her so much, even though she’s not exactly a typical female. She’s incredible.”

Satoshi just sighed and nodded his agreement.

<OHSHC>

“ _Hinansho and the other Hinan investments have been doing rather well. The new events building will be complete soon so the ballroom and conference rooms will be available to rent_ ,” Kosaku thought as he prepared the quarterly reports for the Hinan management meeting scheduled for the weekend. His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

Kosaku answered the phone, “Good afternoon. Hinansho accounting office. Kosaku Ito speaking. How may I help you?”

“Kosaku, this is Kyoya. Something occurred to me today and I need your advice,” the caller replied.

“What can I do for you, Kyoya?” Kosaku prompted.

“Would the Hinan family be able to pay Haruhi’s tuition for this year at Ouran? With all that’s happened with the Suoh family, I suspect they may pull her scholarship,” Kyoya explained.

Chuckling, Kosaku said, “No need to worry. Haruhi came to me this summer to discuss her tuition for this year. As much as she enjoyed the challenge of staying at the top of her class to remain eligible for the scholarship, she felt that she no longer needed it and it should be available to someone else. She contacted the school to release the scholarship and made arrangement to pay her tuition with funds she recently received. She didn’t tell them that they were funds she earned as part of the management team for the Hinan family and prudent investing. She was quite proud of her accomplishment in paying for her final year herself.”

“She will never cease to amaze me,” Kyoya stated warmly. “How could I ever think I could be good enough for her?”

“Let me give you some advice about women. If she has deemed you worthy, don’t insult her by arguing,” Kosaku said. “It took my wife, Hibiki, a year to get that lesson through my thick skull. And I’m so glad she did.”

“Point taken,” Kyoya conceded. “I can’t help feeling inadequate. I grew up around power and influence. It was part of my everyday life, along with the message that I would never measure up to my brothers. But what she has accomplished in the past year is impressive by any standards. She has never flinched or had second thoughts when faced with resistance.”

“Are you sure about her never having doubts?” Kosaku asked. “I’ve talked to Ryoji on occasion and he has mentioned how she second guessed herself constantly…at least until the Hinan family really was needed.”

“Just like her, so independent,” Kyoya murmured. “Not to mention just pushing ahead to do what needs to be done, even if everything is against her.”

Kosaku mused, “I’ve noticed that she is someone very special to everyone here at Hinansho. People seem to be naturally drawn to her because of her compassion and drive.”

Kyoya chuckled. “We recognized that within minutes of meeting her. That’s why she was dubbed ‘The Natural’ in the Host Club. She always seemed to know what to do to connect with people, even though sometimes she was rather blunt about it.”

Indistinct yells and crashing in the background prompted a heavy sigh from Kyoya. “I better go help Rene. I’m not sure what he’s doing but it sounds destructive.”

“Think about what I told you,” Kosaku prompted. “Talk to you later.”

<OHSHC>

“Thank you for inviting us over for dinner. It was really delicious,” Mitsukuni said cheerily. “I can’t wait to start classes tomorrow. I feel so much better about it than I did last year.”

“Ditching a tumor can do that,” Rene teased.

Takashi was thoughtful. “I just wish we hadn’t needed to defy our families to do it.”

“Understandable,” Kyoya interjected. “The best-case scenario would have been for your father to allow the surgery and you recover at home. At least you didn’t have to choose between worst-case scenarios.”

Mitsukuni shivered. “Definitely. I am so thankful that Haruhi created the Hinan family last year. Without that, I would have either had to forego the surgery or defy my family and try to take care of everything on my own.”

Placing a hand on his shoulder, Takashi soothed, “I will always be here for you. Let’s focus on the positive. At least there was a second-best scenario—joining the Hinan family and having the surgery.”

“Okay, enough doom-and-gloom,” Rene announced, waving his hands around as if to dispel dark clouds. “We start a new year at University tomorrow. There are so many exciting adventures ahead of us.”

Mitsukuni laughed. “You’re right. There’s no sense dwelling on a past that never was or will be. Now we’re brothers and we’re here for each other.”

They spent the next hour talking about their class schedules, new movies, and anything else that crossed their minds.

“It’s getting late,” Takashi stated as conversation was winding down. “We should be going,”

Mitsukuni piped up, “You should join us for breakfast. Takashi is making pancakes. Then we can walk to campus together.”

“Great idea,” Rene affirmed. “What time?”

“Since none of us have classes before nine tomorrow,” Kyoya mused, “let’s have breakfast at seven-thirty. That should give us time to eat a leisurely breakfast and clean up before heading to campus.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Mitsukuni said, chuckling as his voice cracked.

“See you in the morning,” Takashi called as he closed the door.

<OHSHC>

“ _This should be interesting_ ,” Takashi thought as he walked into the journalism class and chose a seat. “ _Hopefully, this will give me some insight into the workings of the newspaper that the Hinan family owns. It should also help me hone my skills in documenting and reporting conclusions for forensic accounting. It doesn’t hurt that it also fills one of the required core classes.”_

A few minutes later, the professor took his place at the front of the classroom. “If you will all take a seat, we will begin. Welcome to Introduction to Journalism. I’ll be passing around copies of the syllabus. While I’m doing that, I’d like you to introduce yourselves. Please tell us your name, major, and reason for taking this class.”

Takashi didn’t catch a lot of the names because the speaker mumbled it, claimed to be either a Journalism major or undecided, and stated their reason as ‘required.’ Then one name and voice caught his attention.

“My name is Chiharu Tojo. I am a Marketing and Advertising major. I want to hone my skills in writing ad copy and marketing proposals.”

“ _I remember her from Ouran. She was the only female member of the Newspaper Club and the one to tell me where Mitsukuni was being held_ ,” Takashi thought. He was surprised that his heart seemed to beat a little faster when she started speaking. He remembered the look of admiration on her face after he helped deal with the Wrestling Club members Akira Komitsuzawa was using to guard Mitsukuni.

When it was his turn to introduce himself, he said proudly, “My name is Takashi Hinan. I am an Accounting major and I intend to become a forensic accountant. I want to learn to write well to document and present findings.” He watched Chiharu from the corner of his eye to see if she recognized him.

As soon as Takashi started speaking, Chiharu looked up from the notes she was making. “ _The face and voice are familiar, but the name doesn’t seem quite right. I can’t quite place him right now. Maybe I can catch him after class,”_ she pondered.

After introductions were complete, the professor went through the syllabus, pointing out the assignments and deadlines. “If your essays are good enough, they may be published. We have been fortunate to partner with a newspaper. I will explain more about how that came about when we reach that section of the class. I’m sure you’re all overwhelmed with information so I will release you ten minutes early to give you a little extra time to assimilate it.”

Takashi took one more look through the syllabus, making sure all the assignments and deadlines were highlighted for emphasis before packing it into his satchel. When he looked up, Chiharu was standing nearby looking at him with a quizzical expression.

“Did you attend Ouran High School?” she asked tentatively.

“Yes, I did,” Takashi replied with a small smile. “I remember you were in the Newspaper Club.”

Startled, she asked, “How did you know? Not many people paid attention to the Newspaper Club.”

He chuckled. “Well, you did help the Host Club when Akira was holding Mitsukuni.”

“Oh, that’s why you look and sound so familiar. But I didn’t recognize the last name when you introduced yourself,” she stated.

“The name change is a long story. If you would allow me to take you to lunch, I’ll tell you about it,” Takashi asked hopefully, standing and offering his arm.

Chiharu smiled and placed a hand gently on his arm. “I would be delighted to have lunch with you.”

He smiled at her and thought, “ _Whoa, her touch sparked something deep inside me. I will just have to ignore it…for now_.”

“There’s a very nice restaurant nearby that the Host Club frequents,” Takashi suggested. 

“That sounds wonderful,” Chiharu agreed, walking beside Takashi as they exited the building. As soon as they were outside, someone yanked her away from Takashi’s side.

“Chiharu, you really need to stop associating with rabble. My father may object to our union if he thinks you’ve been slumming. You belong with a real journalist, me. I would never be caught with the scum of the earth,” a male voice growled.

Wrenching her arm out of his grasp, she replied condescendingly, “Jiro, I have told you repeatedly that I have no interest in you. Now leave me alone.”

Jiro made another grab for her, but his hand was intercepted by a much larger one. “The lady said she’s not interested. Now if you will excuse us…”

“Do you know who you’re talking to, reject?” Jiro sneered.

Takashi looked him up and down dismissively. “Something morally bankrupt from the way you are attempting to treat a lady.”

“You’re one to talk. You were kicked out of the Morinozuka family after all,” Jiro snapped.

“If you were a real journalist,” Takashi said, “you would know that you need to get your facts straight. Otherwise, you will be spending a lot of time and money defending yourself against slander and libel suits.”

“What’s the difference?” Jiro sneered.

Quirking an eyebrow, Takashi replied, “Slander is spoken and libel is written. If you don’t know that, you should change majors.”

Turning his back on Jiro, Takashi again offered Chiharu his arm and escorted her in the direction of the restaurant.

At the restaurant, the maître d’ smiled when Takashi and Chiharu entered. “How may I help you today, Takashi?”

“We would like lunch and a quiet table to talk,” he responded.

“Right this way,” the maître d’ led them to a small private dining room. “Your waitress will be right in.”

Chiharu looked at Takashi in surprise. “You seem to be very well known here.”

Takashi shrugged slightly. “Like I said, the Host Club frequents this restaurant. The maître d’ keeps a private dining room available for us.”

“They are here often?” Chiharu questioned.

“They came to visit some weekends last year. Kyoya and Haruhi used it as a study room between challenge tests a number of times,” he replied. Before he could continue, the waitress came to take their orders.

Once the waitress left, Chiharu asked, “Is that why I didn’t see you around campus much last year?”

Shaking his head, Takashi replied, “No, I spent most of my time worrying about and watching over Mitsukuni.”

“You did that in high school and you were still active,” Chiharu stated, a little confused.

“About the time classes started last year, Mitsukuni started having headaches. He was moody and completely out of character. Everything going on with our friends didn’t help,” Takashi explained.

The waitress arrived with their lunch orders and then quietly withdrew.

“What was going on?” Chiharu asked with interest.

Takashi gathered his thoughts. “Kyoya’s father practically placed him under house arrest. Then the twins’ parents were killed in a bombing in London. Things really came to a head the week before final exams. Mitsukuni’s younger brother, Yasuchika, showed up—again—to challenge him to a fight. Mitsukuni lost control and broke Yasuchika’s arm and two ribs.” He paused, flooded with the memories from that day and the following weekend.

“Was that fight the reason for the name change?” Chiharu prompted, picking at her lunch as she listened to Takashi.

“No, it was just another symptom of what was wrong with Mitsukuni. The following week, he collapsed after his last exam and was rushed to the hospital. The diagnosis was a brain tumor. His father refused to authorize the surgery, insisting Mitsukuni just needed to learn self-control. His father blamed the Host Club for Mitsukuni’s lack of control that injured Yasuchika.” Takashi pushed his food around him plate, his appetite dissipating.

“In order to have the life-saving surgery, Mitsukuni removed himself from the Haninozuka registry. He was adopted by the Hinan family, the same one that adopted the Hitachiins after their parents were killed.” Takashi paused.

“I can see why Mitsukuni made the choice he did,” Chiharu said softly, placing her hand gently on Takashi’s. “Did you change your name because he did?”

Taking a deep breath, Takashi replied. “No. I chose to change my name because our families refused to see reason. They were so fixated on Mitsukuni obeying without question that they ignored the fact the tumor was life-threatening. It became a contest of wills rather than striving for what was best for everyone.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Chiharu continued to hold Takashi’s hand, gently rubbing circles with her thumb.

Feeling the spark warming in his chest once again, he shook his head as if to clear cobwebs and said, “What about you? What have you been up to since the rescue?”

Chiharu pulled her hand back and started twisting her fingers together. Takashi was a little bemused by the disappointment he felt when she let go of his hand.

“I don’t know if you knew, but I was contracted to Akira for an arranged marriage by our fathers. It was the only reason I was involved in the Newspaper Club,” Chiharu admitted.

Takashi’s heart sank at her announcement. “So when is the wedding?”

Chiharu laughed. “Never. There was an incident just before high school graduation. My family is good friends with the Shibasaki family and we frequent their main restaurant. One night we were having dinner there when Akira and his father came in. Akira thought Kanata, one of the Shibasaki’s three sons, was being too familiar with me.

“A few days later, there was a story in the Komitsuzawa’s newspaper that the Shibasaki family was advertising Kobe beef and actually selling inferior meat. As a matter of form, the Shibasaki family filed a lawsuit demanding a retraction and one month of lost revenue. They were using a new lawyer because their usual one didn’t want to deal with the Komitsuzawa family.” Chiharu paused to sip her tea.

“ _This story sounds familiar for some reason_ ,” Takashi thought.

Smiling, Chiharu continued, “Given Komitsuzawa’s reaction to an imagined slight, my father revoked the marriage contract on the grounds of unsuitability and possible instability. Later, he was very glad he had because Komitsuzawa lost the lawsuit and it was for much more than the Shibasaki family originally requested.

“The lawyer credited an intern with proposing a much stiffer penalty given the Komitsuzawa’s habitual nature of printing misinformation. Let’s not candy-coat it—printing lies. That was the first substantial lawsuit that they lost, but not the last. I’ve heard rumors that Komitsuzawa lost the newspaper in a lawsuit against the Hinan family.”

Takashi smiled slightly. “Actually, it was a summary judgement because Komitsuzawa refused to appear in court to face the charges of libel.”

“That’s right, you’re part of the Hinan family now,” Chiharu said sheepishly.

“I also know the lawyer’s intern that suggested the more---punitive penalty in the Shibasaki case,” Takashi admitted.

“Really? Do you think I could meet them sometime and thank them?” Chiharu asked. “I owe them so much for distracting Akira’s family from the revoked marriage contract.”

“I’ll ask,” Takashi hedged. Looking at the time, he said, “I have a class in fifteen minutes. I’m sorry we have to cut this short.”

“I’m sorry that we don’t have more time, but I have a class to attend as well. Hopefully we’ll see more of each other around campus this year since Mitsukuni is feeling better,” Chiharu responded.

“And we do have the journalism class together, so we’ll definitely be seeing each other more,” Takashi affirmed.

Takashi led Chiharu to the maître d’s podium where he paid the bill and included a generous tip.

“Thank you for your patronage. We look forward to seeing you again soon,” the maître d’ said as he held the front door open for them.

“Well, I have to get to my video production class,” Chiharu said.

“Too bad my accounting class is in the opposite direction,” Takashi responded, a bit chagrinned that they could not walk together to their next classes.

Chiharu looked at him and laid a hand on his arm. “Well, at least we’ll see one another in journalism class tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” he murmured. He blushed slightly at the sudden urge he had to kiss her goodbye.

She did not see it as she walked quickly to her next class, hiding her own blush at her boldness of laying her hand on his arm.

<OHSHC>

Takashi sat at his desk, idly twirling his pen through his fingers. He simply could not concentrate. Chiharu’s lovely smile and breathy laugh haunted his thoughts. “ _Why is she affecting me so much more than when we were at Ouran? We started elementary school together, though it was third year before I talked to her for the first time.”_ Memories of that awful and wonderful day came flooding back.

*******FLASHBACK*******

_Takashi stood staring at the ground as the boys chanted all sorts of mean names. “_ I wish Mitsukuni was here _,” was all he could think._

_Suddenly there was a pair of small feet standing in front of him, facing the crowd of jeering boys. “Leave him alone,” a girl’s voice declared._

_“Stay out of it, Chiharu-chan,” one of the boys yelled. “The dummy doesn’t need you to stick up for him.”_

_“He’s not a dummy,” Chiharu insisted. “He’s worried about his cousin, Mitsukuni-kun, who is in the hospital.” She planted her fists on her hips and silently dared any of the boys to continue harassing Takashi._

_Once the small crowd of boys dispersed, bored with the game of calling the quiet boy names, Takashi looked up slightly at Chiharu and mumbled, “Thanks, but how did you know?”_

_She smiled shyly at him. “I heard you telling the teacher this morning that Mitsukuni-kun would be out for a day or two because he fell out of a tree and had to go to the hospital. Don’t worry. I’m sure your cousin will be fine. Until he gets back, I’ll spend time with you, if you don’t mind.”_

_One corner of Takashi’s lips raised as he replied, “I’d like that.”_

*******END FLASHBACK*******

Takashi smiled at the memory. “ _We never did get close. It was expected that my focus would be Mitsukuni so I wasn’t always aware of when Chiharu was around. It’s funny, now that I think about it, she did check on us regularly_ , _even in middle school_.” He frowned slightly as he was reminded of an incident involving Chiharu during their first year in middle school.

*******FLASHBACK*******

_Mitsukuni and Takashi were just leaving the dojo following karate club. Walking through the gardens, they heard a girl cry for help. Takashi led the way through the hedge maze to find a third-year middle school boy laughing cruelly as he tried to rip Chiharu’s dress off. Seven of his friends stood around with lustful expressions, egging him on._

_Mitsukuni faced off against the observers while Takashi whipped off his uniform jacket and pulled Chiharu free. He wrapped the jacket securely around her, preserving her modesty, and thrust her behind his back. “That is not how you treat ladies,” Takashi growled._

_“She’s just a stupid girl and I can do anything I want to her. What do you care?” sneered the third-year who stood at least six inches taller than Takashi._

_“I have been taught that women are to be respected, not assaulted,” Takashi replied coldly._

_“Girls are nothing more than playthings and you’re interfering in our fun. Get ‘em, guys,” he ordered his friends._

_Without turning his head, he told Chiharu, “Get security.”_

_“Oh no you don’t,” the bully said, making a grab for Chiharu. Takashi intercepted him and threw him to the ground._

_“Get her!” the bully commanded his friends, wheezing for air._

_Two of the others started after her, but Mitsukuni intercepted them and threw them to the ground near their leader. Within minutes, all eight third-years were on the ground nursing bumps, bruises, and bloody noses as the first-years stood over them, silently daring them to get up._

_Chiharu returned with two security guards who herded all ten boys and Chiharu to the headmaster’s office._

_Yuzuru frowned at the crowd in his office. “Fighting is prohibited. You all know that. There are ample competitions available to settle disputes.”_

_The ringleader yelled, “They started it,” pointing to Mitsukuni and Takashi._

_“They did not,” Chiharu declared, pulling Takashi’s uniform tightly around her like armor against the lustful stares of the third-year boys._

_Yuzuru leveled his gaze at Chiharu and asked, “What did happen? And why are you wearing a middle school boy’s uniform jacket?”_

_Blushing, Chiharu told the story of the attack and heroic rescue._

_The ringleader interrupted. “That’s not what happened at all. We stumbled across them making out and tried to stop them.”_

_The security officer at the computer gestured for Yuzuru’s attention. As he watched the screen over the security officer’s shoulder, his expression darkened._

_“This behavior will not be tolerated. Your parents will be called to come pick you up,” Yuzuru ordered._

_The ringleader started to smirk, but Yuzuru continued, “The third-years are to be held by security until their parents arrive and complete their conference with me.”_

_Turning to Mitsukuni and Takashi, his voice softened and said, “Please escort Chiharu-chan to the nurse’s office to be sure she was not injured in the attack.”_

_The cousins bowed and took up places on either side of Chiharu for the walk to the nurse’s office._

*******END FLASHBACK*******

Takashi chuckled at the memory. The eight boys were expelled and charged with sexual assault. Yuzuru fined their parents for the attack and admonished Mitsukuni and Takashi for getting involved in such an unfair fight. To which Mitsukuni responded, “It’s not our fault there were only eight of them against the two of us.” _Now that I think about it, I never did get that uniform jacket back_.”

Shaking his head to dispel the memories, he tried once again to concentrate on his homework. He looked up as Mitsukuni entered the apartment and nodded to acknowledge his presence. “I’ll start dinner in about an hour,” he said offhandedly.

“Okay, I have some reading to do for class,” Mitsukuni replied as he settled onto the sofa.

Fifteen minutes later, Takashi was twirling his pen again. “ _Why can’t I get my mind off her? It was never like this at Ouran, not even after her help with the Newspaper Club?_ _What’s changed?_ ”

Mitsukuni was worried as he watched Takashi fidget at his desk. “ _This is so unlike him. He’s usually so serene, even when the Host Club was chaos._ ” Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer. “Takashi, what’s wrong?”

Looking guilty, Takashi asked, “Why do you think something is wrong?”

Smirking, Mitsukuni replied, “You’ve been fidgeting with your pen instead of doing your homework. That’s very unusual for you. Did something happen today?”

“ _I can never hide anything from Mitsukuni,”_ Takashi thought. Aloud, he said, “I had lunch with Chiharu Tojo today.”

Mitsukuni got up off the sofa and walked over to Takashi. “The one we started school with at Ouran? The one who helped us with the Newspaper Club?” Mitsukuni asked, seeking clarification.

Takashi just nodded and blushed slightly.

A mischievous grin lit Mitsukuni’s face and he poked Takashi’s shoulder. “She’s one of the girls you had one of ‘those’ dreams about, isn’t she?”

Blushing a shade darker, Takashi said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Hey, you’re the one who told me they were a normal part of maturing. Why are you embarrassed?” Mitsukuni asked softly.

“I don’t understand why I’m feeling the way I do right now. All I can think about is her smile and the sound of her voice. Just being near her gives me a warm, tingly feeling. None of this ever happened all those years we were in school together at Ouran. What’s changed?” Takashi murmured.

Mitsukuni seriously pondered Takashi’s question for several minutes. “You do realize that you’ve changed, right?” he asked.

Takashi looked confused. “Do you mean the name change?”

“No, that’s not what I mean. Think back to how you were before the Host Club. Look at the ways being involved in that has changed you,” Mitsukuni pointed out. “Tamaki—Rene approached you and asked you to be in the Host Club. Sure, he asked me to be involved, too. But he didn’t assume that we were a package deal.”

“You’re right,” Takashi allowed. “But there seems to be more to it than just being involved in the Host Club. Most of the time we were still seen as a single unit with two parts.”

“True, that is what the first year was like. But look at the second year. Haruhi stumbled into our world, literally, and we morphed from three units with two parts each to six distinct individuals,” Mitsukuni expounded.

Takashi looked pensive for several minutes, sorting through the three years of memories in the Host Club. “I think I see what you mean,” he allowed. “Haruhi’s perspective made me re-examine myself and the others in the Host Club did the same. I was no longer seen as a two-dimensional character, there only to serve and protect you. I had my own likes and dislikes, my own activities. She saw me as someone unique and special, which in turn, made me see myself the same way.”

Mitsukuni grinned. “There’s also the fact that Haruhi acted nothing like the other girls at Ouran. She’s blunt, open, and matter-of-fact. I know that the flighty, swooning girls attracted to the Host Club made you uncomfortable because they were so superficial. She proved that there are serious girls out there that want to get to know a guy before making a grandiose love confession.”

“You mean like that one Tamaki—Rene wrote when we were trying to help patch up things between Kanako and Tohru? I wonder if he copied parts of that from some of the love confessions girls gave him,” Takashi said, chuckling.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Mitsukuni admitted.

Takashi checked the time. “Well, I should get started on dinner. Thanks for the talk. It helped a lot.”

Mitsukuni clapped his cousin—brother on the shoulder. “Glad I could help. Maybe you and Chiharu could double date with Reiko and me sometime?”

Blushing slightly as he moved toward the kitchen, Takashi murmured, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

<OHSHC>

Rene answered the knock at the door and was promptly dragged into a hug by the twins. “Okay, okay. We’ve got all weekend,” he huffed, trying to catch his breath.

“You don’t know how much we’ve missed you guys,” Hikaru and Kaoru declared in unison, rubbing their cheeks against his like a pair of affectionate cats.

Haruhi nudged the three of them into the apartment so she could close the door. As soon as the door latched, she was swept into Kyoya’s arms and he whispered in her ears, “You don’t know how much I have missed you.”

She kissed him, caressed his cheek, and said, “It’s incredible how long two weeks can feel.”

Freeing himself from the twins, Rene pulled Haruhi out of Kyoya’s embrace and into a soft hug. At the surprised look on her face, he responded, “I’m trying to remember to be gentle, okaa-san.”

Haruhi smiled and ruffled his hair. “Good job, Rene.”

Kyoya wrapped his arms around Haruhi from behind. Quietly, he said, “Rene’s been having a rough week. He’s even reverted to whiplash mood swings and growing mushrooms. I’m hoping this weekend will be a big help for him.”

“We’ll see what we can do,” she said, turning in his arms and standing on her toes to give him a quick kiss.

The twins dropped their overnight bags next to the door. “So, what are the plans this weekend?” Hikaru asked.

“We’re all having dinner here tonight and then doing homework for a couple hours before we settle down for a movie,” Rene explained excitedly.

“Will Mitsukuni and Takashi be here soon?” Haruhi asked.

Before anyone could answer, there was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” Rene announced. Throwing the door open, he admitted the missing members of the Host Club. “The neighbors are here. We can start the party now.”

Kyoya chuckled. “See what I mean about reverting to his old behavior?”

Haruhi nodded, “Well, maybe a little. But you have noticed the shift, haven’t you?”

“Yes, it finally hit me when we were at the home center shopping. When he asked ‘okaa-san’ if he could get the plush and I replied, he said, ‘I wasn’t talking to you, otou-san.’ It dawned on me that he had shifted our roles. How long ago did that start?”

“The first time he called me ‘okaa-san’ was the day of Takashi’s class gathering—your birthday. When I took the four of them upstairs because Mitsukuni had a headache, they all settled around me because they were tired. He called me ‘okaa-san’ just before he fell asleep. He’s made himself one of the children rather than ‘Daddy’ now,” Haruhi pointed out.

Watching the others interact, she continued, “Let’s not mention it for right now. I’m not sure if he has realized that he’s been doing it.” Then she kissed his cheek before walking over to welcome Takashi while the twins were teasing Mitsukuni about whether he had grown any yet.

“Have you been settling into classes okay?” she asked, giving him a hug.

He returned the hug and said, “They’re good. The journalism class is interesting.”

She smiled. “Have you made any new friends?”

Takashi blushed slightly and nodded. “One.”

Before Haruhi could ask for further details, Mitsukuni pulled her into a hug. “I can’t believe how much better I feel this year!”

Haruhi tousled his hair and remarked teasingly, “I’m sure the fact Reiko is here this year has absolutely nothing to do with that.”

Mitsukuni blushed at the implications of Haruhi’s remark.

“That reminds me. Has she been able to find a place to live yet? I remember she said she was having trouble finding somewhere because everything was full.”

“Yes, she did. When she went to the bulletin board to check the ‘Roommate Wanted’ section, she ran into someone who was about to put up a listing. Her roommate was not returning because her family had forced her into an arranged marriage during the summer,” Mitsukuni scowled.

Haruhi frowned as well. “That’s awful. To be forced into something like that—like she was a piece of property to be sold to advance the family business.”

“I know,” Mitsukuni replied. “But anyway, Reiko and the other girl started talking and decided that they were compatible enough to be roommates.”

“That’s good to hear,” Haruhi said.

“When will we get to meet her?” Rene interrupted.

Mitsukuni looked sheepish. “Well, I was going to ask if Reiko and her roommate could join us for dinner tonight.”

Rene and Kyoya exchanged a glance. Kyoya said, “I don’t see why they can’t join us. We planned on making a big pot of nikujaga, so there’s plenty to go around.”

“Hooray!” Mitsukuni cheered, pulling out his phone. “I’ll call right now.” He moved to a quiet corner to make the call. The other occupants of the apartment headed into the living room to relax for a little while before starting dinner.

“They’ll be here in a few minutes,” Mitsukuni announced. “It turns out they live in this building, just one floor up, but at the other end of the hall.”

“That will be convenient for studying…and dates,” Haruhi teased and the others laughed as Mitsukuni blushed.

When there was a knock at the door, Rene jumped up and practically ran across the apartment. He flung the door open and announced, “Welcome Reiko and Roommate. Please come in and join us.”

Rene grabbed their hands and dragged them to the living room. Mitsukuni immediately pulled Reiko out of Rene’s grasp and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Before he could ask her to introduce her roommate, Takashi said in disbelief, “Chiharu? You’re Reiko’s roommate?”

“Takashi?” she replied in equal disbelief. “Reiko has been saying she wanted to introduce me to her fiancé and his cousin. You’re him?”

The rest of the Host Club looked back and forth between them. Finally, Haruhi said teasingly, “So, Takashi, is this the new friend you made?”

“Actually more of a re-acquaintance,” Chiharu clarified. “We started school together at Ouran.”

Haruhi puzzled for a moment. Then she declared, “That’s why you look familiar. You helped us with the Newspaper Club incident.”

“How did you know about that?” Chiharu asked, confused. “I didn’t think anyone found out about what happened.”

“She was there,” Takashi explained. “I’ll explain later, but she wears the male uniform at Ouran.”

Chiharu smiled. “That sounds like an intriguing story.”

“Maybe we’ll all explain it tonight during dinner,” Rene suggested.

“Speaking of stories,” Takashi interjected, “Chiharu, I think Haruhi was the intern that suggested the punitive damages in the Shibasaki case against Komitsuzawa.”

“Really?” Chiharu cried.

Haruhi looked perplexed. “There was a lawsuit I was typing up the second day of my internship that was a libel case by the Shibasaki family against the Komitsuzawa newspaper regarding the quality of meat at their restaurant. I simply made the lawyer aware of the pattern of sensationalized stories put forth by Komitsuzawa and hypothesized that they continued to do it because no one hit them where it hurt most—in the wallet.”

Chiharu pulled Haruhi into a hug. “Indirectly, you saved me from an arranged marriage to Akira Komitsuzawa. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

Haruhi laughed. “Glad to help. That internship has had so many unexpected benefits.”

Kyoya stood up and announced, “Okay, it’s time to get dinner started. Rene, you come with me. The rest of you relax.”

Hikaru said, “Don’t mind us, we’re just going to tell the story of how Haruhi joined the Host Club.”

“And, if we have time, the story of the creation of the Hinan family,” Kaoru added.

Mitsukuni turned to Reiko. “I think you’ll like these stories.”

She snuggled into his side. “They definitely sound intriguing.”

Hikaru stood up and declared dramatically, “It all started when Haruhi was looking for a quiet place to study. Boy, did she take a wrong turn when she entered the Third Music Room where she was met by…”


	17. Take a Breath

“Are you sure you want to celebrate Halloween at Hinansho?” Rene asked. “There are so many fun things scheduled at the University.”

“I’m sure,” Hikaru replied. “I want to make costumes for everyone, including Ageha, Hibiki, and Masaya. I’ve decided that I want to add a specialty cosplay line to the Hitachiin Fashion House. This will give me a chance to use you guys as guinea pigs.”

“Besides,” Kaoru interrupted, “we’re having our gathering here this weekend. It’s only fair that next weekend’s is at Hinansho. We’ll all be at University next year. It will be easier to take advantage of all the festivities then.”

“Don’t forget that the new ballroom will be ready just before Halloween. We can use our party as the premiere activity to be sure everything is perfect before we offer it to clients,” Kyoya added.

Haruhi laughed and kissed his cheek. “Always thinking like a businessman. No wonder you’re at the top of your class.”

“I resent that,” Kyoya huffed playfully. “I am in a class of my own.”

“The rice and chicken curry are ready,” Takashi called as he and Chiharu carried the pots to the dining table.

“Good, I’m starving,” Mitsukuni stated as he walked into the dining area with his arm around Reiko.

Haruhi looked at the pair, feeling like something was different. “Hey, Mitsukuni, is it my imagination or have you grown?” she asked.

Reiko giggled. “You’re not imagining things. At his six-month follow-up this week, the height check showed he has grown three inches.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Haruhi cheered. The rest of the Host Club expressed their delight at the continued improvement in their friend’s health.

Kaoru commented, “No wonder you’re hungry. You’re a growing boy.”

The others just groaned before digging in.

After everyone had eaten their fill, Haruhi turned to Takashi and asked, “Have you contacted the Kendo Association yet about the tournament in December?”

“Yes, I talked to the director this week and requested a private audience. He readily granted it because he wondered why I had been withdrawn. I explained the situation with the name change and the events that precipitated it. He reinstated my name in the tournament and agreed to keep my information in the strictest confidence.”

Haruhi laid a hand on his arm. “I’m glad. I know how much kendo means to you.”

Takashi had a mischievous twinkle in his eye when he replied, “Thank you for prompting me to make the contact—okaa-san.”

Rene grinned as one of his brothers called Haruhi ‘okaa-san’ too.

<OHSHC>

Kyoya called Hibiki Ito ten days before Halloween, as soon as the event center had passed its final inspections. “Hibiki, I want you to book private Halloween parties for all of the conference rooms in the event center.”

She replied, “But isn’t the Hinan family already having a big Halloween party there that night?”

“Exactly. I want the premiere opening to be as busy as possible.”

“But what if something goes wrong?”

“Precisely my point. People will expect something to go wrong at the premiere, so if we have the center at capacity then, everyone will simply attribute it to the newness. We’ll find all the problems and fix them up front.”

“Okay,” Hibiki said tentatively. “That makes sense in a twisted sort of way. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Hibiki. That’s all I ask,” Kyoya said gently, ending the call.

<OHSHC>

Everyone was excited for the big Halloween party at Hinansho. An open invitation was posted in the nearby town and the hospital set up special shifts so that everyone who wanted could attend for an hour or two.

Hotta and Aijima waited in the security office. Tachibana arrived a few minutes later. “Thank you for coming so promptly. I need you two to take charge of security for the party this evening.”

“If I may ask, sir,” Hotta inquired, “why aren’t you taking that duty? Given that the Host Club will be in attendance and you usually provide their security personally.”

“Master Kyoya has allowed me to chaperone my daughter and her friends to the party along with my wife.”

“I’d prefer security for the open party to a bevy of teenage girls,” Aijima stated.

“Good, because that’s exactly what you’ll be doing. Please make careful note of any difficulties or inefficiencies. Master Kyoya wants a full report tomorrow morning.” Tachibana turned to leave. “I have to go get dressed in my costume.”

<OHSHC>

The Host Club, Reiko, and Chiharu stood at the entrance to the ballroom dressed in costumes created by Hikaru. He had taken his inspiration from their English assignment studying Shakespeare’s As You Like It. He was especially proud of Haruhi’s outfit that allowed her to be both Rosalind and Ganymede without needing to change costumes. It merely required slipping out of sight for a moment to reconfigure portions.

Kyoya was very pleased that he, as Orlando, would be able to dance with Haruhi without drawing odd looks. “Hikaru, you have outdone yourself. These costumes are almost good enough for a stage production.”

“What do you mean ‘almost’?” Hikaru demanded.

“Stage costumes require exaggerations to be seen from the audience. These are designed to be viewed up close,” Kyoya clarified, mollifying his brother.

Haruhi interjected, “Hikaru, I really like this costume. I’ll be sure to try out the switch sometime.” She looked to her right at Chiharu and Takashi. “Hey, coz. You’re looking very fetching this evening, Celia.”

Chiharu blushed prettily. “Thanks, coz. I had to brush up on this theme. It’s been a couple years since I studied it in English class.”

Takashi, dressed as Oliver, smiled down at Chiharu. “I enjoyed reading it with you. It was fun acting out some of the scenes.”

“Daughter, attend upon your father, the exiled duke,” Hikaru pontificated.

“Hey, where do you get off calling her ‘Daughter’? She’s my daughter,” Rene teased.

“I thought she was okaa-san now,” Kaoru interjected. “Anyway, you’re Touchstone, the jester tonight.”

“That’s right. It is my job to entertain Celia and Rosalind.” Rene struck a dramatic pose. “As well as protect them in the Forest of Arden.”

“Don’t you mean Ganymede?” Kaoru teased.

Keeping in character, Haruhi said, “Why Uncle? You were not supposed to know the guise under which I stole away with my cousin, after you declared my exile.”

Everyone laughed at the antics. “We should get in position to greet our guests,” Kyoya declared, offering Haruhi his arm.

“By the way, Reiko, you and Mitsukuni look so cute as Phebe and Silvius. I especially like the sheep plushies that Hikaru attached to the costumes,” Haruhi said.

Reiko blushed and nodded while Mitsukuni laughed. “Yeah, they really help define the characters as a shepherd and shepherdess.”

There were three maids stationed near the entrance and six more mingling about the ballroom. Each was dressed in the costume of their choice and would be enjoying the party in rotating shifts. For now, one was checking coats and two were helping guests who needed costumes to choose from the selection Hikaru made available.

Twelve additional security officers were also in costume and mingling with the guests. They were assigned to watch for trouble and handle it discreetly as needed. Otherwise, they were just to enjoy the party.

After half an hour, the flood of arriving guests dwindled to a trickle. “May I have this dance?” Kyoya asked, holding out his hand to Haruhi.

“I would be honored.” She curtsied and took his offered hand.

Takashi offered his hand to Chiharu and she took it, giggling, “You know, you put me more in mind of Charles the wrestler than Oliver, but I don’t mind.”

A few steps into their dance, Takashi picked Chiharu up, settling her securely on his right arm, negating the height difference between them. “I hope you don’t mind,” he whispered.

“I don’t mind at all. This is so much easier.” She placed a quick kiss near his ear as she answered.

Mitsukuni looked at Reiko, seeing her longing gaze at the dancers. “Shall we?” She smiled and took his hand. He swept her on to the dance floor and among the other dancers.

“I have to admit,” Reiko murmured. “I like this new, taller you.”

He winked. “I like being taller, too.”

Hikaru, Kaoru, and Rene exchanged glances as the others danced away. “Well, there are plenty of lovely young ladies available tonight. I think I’ll go mingle,” Hikaru declared, eying a group of shy young ladies watching the dancing longingly.

“Hikaru is correct, the princesses await,” Rene announced dramatically before following Hikaru. Kaoru just shook his head and tagged along behind. Within moments, all three were on the dance floor as well.

Just before the first song ended, Takashi asked Chiharu nervously, “Would you mind if I dance with Haruhi?”

“Why would I mind?” She looked at him quizzically.

He blushed slightly as he responded, “I will have to pick her up like I do you. It can be construed as rather intimate.”

Chiharu moved her hand from his shoulder to his cheek. “I trust you. And I trust her.”

“Thank you for being such an understanding girlfriend.”

She bit lightly on her bottom lip with her teeth. “Would you mind if I dance with Haruhi after you do?”

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“I want to see the Ganymede version of her costume. I’d also like to talk to her for a few minutes,” Chiharu clarified.

Takashi’s face showed a look of comprehension and he nodded. “I will get us some punch during your dance with Haruhi. I’ll meet you by the refreshments table.”

When the song ended, Takashi and Chiharu made their way to where Kyoya and Haruhi were leaving the dance floor.

Takashi bowed slightly and asked, “May I have the pleasure of a dance with Haruhi?”

Kyoya and Haruhi exchanged a glance before Haruhi replied, “I would be delighted to dance with you.” He offered his left hand and swept her up with his right arm.

Kyoya’s expression darkened at the intimate embrace but Chiharu touched his arm. “He asked my permission and I allowed it.”

Taking a deep breath, Kyoya asked, “Then, may I have this dance?”

“I would be delighted.”

As they began to glide around the dance floor, Chiharu inquired, “May I offer a bit of constructive criticism about the event center?”

Kyoya looked at her in approval. “By all means. Your input would be invaluable.”

“I noticed that, in addition to the ballroom, there are a dozen conference rooms identified by number.”

“That is correct.”

“From a marketing standpoint, that seems rather…bland. Would you consider giving a name to each of the conference rooms?”

“That’s an intriguing suggestion. Do you have anything particular in mind?”

Chiharu thought for a moment. “There should be an underlying theme. Perhaps name each after a color, animal, or country.”

Kyoya pondered her suggestion for moment as he released her waist and nudged her into a twirl under his arm. “It would sound much better to direct someone to the Russian room rather than conference room three.”

“And a name would be more memorable than a number,” Chiharu commented as the song ended.

“I will make a note of it after I return you to Takashi.”

“Actually, I’m dancing with Haruhi next. I’m looking forward to her Ganymede costume.”

“I’m rather curious to see that myself,” Kyoya agreed.

The two couples met near the refreshments table where there was a small alcove to hide Haruhi from view while she rearranged her costume.

Kyoya, Takashi, and Chiharu were all amazed when she stepped back out.

“How do I look?” Haruhi asked curiously.

“If I hadn’t been standing here and knew that it was you coming out, I would never have connected the two,” Kyoya admitted, looking her up and down with approval.

Haruhi smiled as she said in her best Host Club manner, “May I have this dance, Miss Chiharu?”

Giggling, she responded, “This is going to be fun.” Taking Ganymede’s offered hand, they smoothly joined the other dancers on the floor.

“Takashi mentioned that you wanted to talk to me. Is it about the Shibasaki lawsuit?”

“Oh no, I wanted to thank you for all you’ve done for Takashi,” Chiharu replied.

Haruhi looked confused. “What have I done?”

“I don’t think you would have noticed it, but I did because I’ve knew him all the way through school at Ouran. He has gained so much confidence in himself after meeting you.”

“That had nothing to do with me,” Haruhi tried to protest.

“Oh, but it did. At first, I thought it was the Host Club, but then I remembered nothing changed during that first year. It wasn’t until after he met you. I have to admit I was jealous.” Chiharu looked down, blushing at her admission.

Haruhi chuckled. “I confess that he is one of the two in the Host Club that I liked the most. He’s an incredible man--loyal, dedicated, insightful, and passionate. However, I chose to be with Kyoya.”

Smiling, Chiharu said, “I think it was your belief in him that prompted a re-examination of his self-view. During our final year at Ouran, I noticed that he was more open…more vibrant. He stopped hiding behind Mitsukuni and his duty. Come to think of it, you did something like that for all of them.”

“I didn’t…” Haruhi started to refute Chiharu’s assertions, but stopped. Searching the earnest expression on Chiharu’s face, she finally murmured, “I will give that some thought. Thank you for your observations.”

When the song ended, Haruhi led Chiharu back to the refreshment table where Kyoya and Takashi were waiting for them. They were joined by Mitsukuni and Reiko.

Takashi observed, “There are quite a few more ladies than men here this evening. Rene and the twins have been doing an admirable job dancing with them, but I think the rest of the Host Club should help out for the next four dances. If Reiko and Chiharu don’t mind.”

“Actually,” Reiko said quietly, “I’ve noticed a number of very shy young men that could use some encouragement as well.” Turning to Chiharu she asked, “Shall we?”

“I think it’s only fair,” Chiharu agreed.

Mitsukuni pulled Reiko into a hug and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for understanding and helping out.”

Takashi leaned down and kissed Chiharu’s cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Kyoya huffed. “It’s not fair. I can’t kiss Haruhi because she’s Ganymede right now.”

“You can have my first dance after we finish hosting and I’ll reward you then,” Haruhi teased as she winked at him.

The friends had a lot of fun making sure everyone was dancing and having a good time. After Haruhi returned as Rosalind, she danced with Kyoya and then Rene and the twins.

By midnight, the crowd had dwindled to fewer than a dozen, aside from the Hinansho residents. Kyoya caught the eye of the band leader and signaled for the final song.

Mitsukuni smiled at Reiko as they glided onto the floor. Takashi picked up Chiharu and followed them. Kyoya and Haruhi followed suit while Rene, Hikaru, and Kaoru found partners among the remaining attendees.

Afterwards, the Host Club, with Reiko and Chiharu bade everyone farewell at the door.

“Well, this was a night to remember,” Rene declared. “Now let’s go home. I’m exhausted.” The others agreed as they walked out to the waiting limousine for the ride back to the main house.

<OHSHC>

Just before lunch the day after the party, Kyoya entered the security office. He smiled at Tachibana, Hotta, and Aijima. “I trust you all had a good time last night.”

“Depends on your point of view,” Tachibana remarked grumpily. “There were far too many young men paying attention to my daughter. She loved it. Her mother and I, not so much.”

“At least you were there to chaperone,” Hotta teased.

Aijima interjected, “I’m sure Master Kyoya would prefer to get back to his friends. Let’s get the report on last night’s activities out of the way.”

Hotta reported, “The biggest problem was parking. Even using valets to bring cars back to the parking garage behind the main house, we had to park overflow on the sports fields.”

“I will speak to Kosaku about funding for a parking structure between the sports fields and the event center. That would probably act as a good buffer, protecting the event center from such things as baseball homeruns,” Kyoya replied, writing a reminder in his notebook.

“There was some confusion about the conference rooms. Some people couldn’t remember which number they were supposed to be in,” Hotta continued.

“Chiharu, Takashi’s girlfriend, had a suggestion for that last night. We should consider naming them with a central theme. Ask the other staff for suggestions that the management team can evaluate,” Kyoya stated. “Were there any other problems?”

Aijima spoke up. “We had to have the police pick up several men who were drunk, causing trouble and harassing some of the ladies. Their names and descriptions have been added to the watch list in our security database.”

“Anything else to report?” Kyoya asked.

“For a premiere with fully booked facilities, it went remarkably smoothly. I did hear quite a few compliments from the attendees,” Hotta reported.

“Thank you for all your hard work.” Kyoya nodded and left.

Tachibana looked at the door and then at the other two men in the room. “Sometimes it’s hard to believe he’s not even eighteen yet. He’s doing a great job for the Hinan family and I am proud to be helping him.”

“Me, too,” Hotta and Aijima replied in unison. The three looked at each other and laughed.

<OHSHC>

Meanwhile, back in Paris, Catherine was getting frustrated. She had just received a report from the Japanese translator who had contacted the Tokyo airport. “Amelie, would you come in here please,” she called through the intercom.

“Yes?” Amelie asked.

“Have you received the report from the Paris airport about passengers matching Rene or Tamaki’s description during the time period he supposedly flew here to see this mother?”

“I received the report this morning, but it was completely negative. No one using any of his names or matching his description arrived within a week of the date he supposedly flew out of Tokyo,” Amelie groused.

“Well, that does mesh with the report Kozue sent me. The Tokyo airport has not record of any private planes leaving on the day in question. There was also no one matching his description or using any combination of his names.” Catherine stared off into space for a moment. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

“My guess is that his grandmother was lying. But why?”

Catherine shrugged. “Reynard said that she didn’t like Rene or his mother. Rene’s father knew nothing of the supposed trip to Paris. He expected him to be at University.”

“Maybe he decided on a different University,” Amelie suggested.

“It’s a place to start. Run combinations of his name through the educational database again. Maybe that will point us in the right direction.”

Half an hour later, Amelie returned with a puzzled look on her face.

“What’s the matter?” Catherine asked.

“I tried running the database search again, but nothing came up.”

“Wait. You mean the records of Tamaki Suoh that we saw before are gone?” Catherine paled at the implications.

“Exactly. Something fishy is definitely going on. What do we do now?”

Catherine’s expression was grim. “I think I need to speak to my brother, the inspector. I hate to admit it, but I am beginning to suspect foul play.”

<OHSHC>

Rene paced from the living room to the door and back again. “They should have been here by now. It’s your birthday. We have plans.”

“They are probably running late,” Kyoya stated. _“I wish I had a tranquillizer dart to put him out for a while. He’s starting to get on my nerves. He’s been at it for the past hour_.”

Before Rene could start his next rant, his phone *dinged* with a text message and Kyoya’s phone rang. While Rene opened the text, Kyoya answered.

“Good evening, Haruhi. Are you guys running late?”

“I’m so sorry, Kyoya. Something has come up and we can’t make it until tomorrow evening. I hate that I can’t be there for your birthday.”

“Well, if can’t be helped, I’ll just look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Call to let me know when you’re coming just in case Rene decides to ‘surprise’ me with some activity.”

“Will do. See you tomorrow.”

Kyoya ended the call and thrust the phone into his pocket.

Rene announced, “The text was from the twins. They can’t make it until tomorrow.”

“I know,” Kyoya replied. “Haruhi just told me.”

Before they could continue the conversation, there was a knock on the door. Rene opened it to find Mitsukuni and Takashi.

Mitsukuni looked sheepish as he said, “I’m sorry we have to cancel tonight. Takashi and I are required to attend a lecture tonight for one of our classes. Reiko and Chiharu will be accompanying us. Please make our apologies to Haruhi and the twins.”

Kyoya stepped up behind Rene. “Actually, they just contacted us and won’t be able to make it until tomorrow evening. I guess it works out all the way around.”

“But, mon ami,” Rene protested, “this is your birthday. We must celebrate.”

“It can wait until tomorrow, Rene,” Kyoya said, shaking his head.

“NO! I will take you out to dinner tonight for your birthday,” Rene declared.

To Mitsukuni and Takashi, Kyoya said, “Don’t worry about the change in plans. It looks like it will all work out in the end. We’ll see you tomorrow night. Enjoy the lecture.”

“Thank you,” Takashi replied. “Why don’t you let Rene take you out to dinner tonight? It will at least make him feel better.”

Kyoya considered for a moment. “You’re correct. And he’s usually less annoying in public.” He looked pointedly at Rene who appeared to be oblivious to the comment.

After Takashi and Mitsukuni left, Kyoya laid his hand on Rene’s shoulder. “Okay, you can take me out to dinner for my birthday. Will we be going to the usual restaurant?”

Practically bouncing with excitement, he said, “No, there’s a place near the train station that Takashi suggested.”

“Well, let’s go then,” Kyoya muttered. “ _Why do I get the distinct impression that I am being set up?_ ”

On the walk home after dinner, Rene saw a karaoke bar. “We should go there.” He tugged on Kyoya’s sleeve to get his attention.

“Can you really see me doing something like that?” Kyoya quirked an eyebrow.

Rene huffed. “I guess not.” He pulled out his phone. “I’m going to text some of my classmates and see if they want to go next week.”

After Rene put his phone away, Kyoya said, “I’m ready to call it a night. Let’s just head back to the apartment.”

Rene shrugged. “It’s your birthday.” They walked the remaining distance to their apartment in silence.

When they reached the apartment, Rene dropped back and let Kyoya open the door. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw a banner that read, ‘Happy First Birthday, Kyoya Hinan.’

“What’s the meaning of this?” he demanded.

All those who said they couldn’t make it, popped out of the living room and yelled, “Surprise!”

Haruhi sauntered up to Kyoya and grinned.

“’First Birthday.’ This is your doing, isn’t it?” he accused before he kissed her.

“Well, in a way,” she admitted. “I pulled it on the twins this summer while you were gone. They decided it was only fair to pull it on you.”

<OHSHC>

In Paris once against, Catherine was pursuing another avenue of inquiry.

“Good evening, Catherine,” Jean-Paul said as he gestured for her to enter. “I’m sorry it has taken so long for me to make time in my schedule for you.”

Catherine gave him les bises before responding. “Your Chief Inspector told me it was a crucial undercover assignment.”

“Couldn’t someone else have helped you?” Jean-Paul asked.

Catherine shrugged. “I talked to a couple of your colleagues, but they didn’t seem inclined to want to pursue the matter. I figure you have to listen to me since we’re family.”

Jean-Paul chuckled. “Okay, sis, tell big brother all about it.”

Catherine spent the next half hour explaining her search for Rene de Grantaine, the discover of the name Tamaki Suoh used in Japan, and the disappearance of his name from the educational database between August and November searches.

She concluded with, “I’m probably way off the mark and imagining things, but I can’t help wondering if Rene’s grandmother murdered him and hid the body.”

“That’s quite a leap, but the circumstances definitely sound suspicious. I have some contacts in Japan. I’ll see what I can find out.” Jean-Paul’s expression was grim.

“Thanks, big brother. You’re the best.” Catherine hugged him and he pushed her away playfully.

<OHSHC>

Takashi arrived home late from the dojo. He had been training diligently for the upcoming tournament since confirming he was still on the roster.

Mitsukuni was sitting on the sofa with a frown on his face, flipping through a sheaf of papers.

“I’m home,” Takashi called quietly.

“Welcome home,” Mitsukuni responded absentmindedly. “I made dinner and dished up a plate for you. It’s in the refrigerator.”

Fighting fatigue, Takashi mechanically heated his meal, ate it in silence, and washed his dishes. Afterwards, he shuffled into the living room and settled on the opposite end of the sofa from Mitsukuni.

A few minutes later, Mitsukuni asked tentatively, “Takashi, do you remember when it was that our families assigned you to be my guardian?”

Takashi pondered the questions several minutes. “It was just after your stay in the hospital when you fell out of the tree. Why do you ask?”

“I had a meeting with my physiology professor last week. He noticed my growth spurt and wondered about the cause since most males reach their maximum height at about sixteen. We talked for an hour or so and he suggested that I write a paper about my experience with the tumor.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Not the paper. I ordered a copy of all of my medical records, hoping to figure out where the tumor came from.” He paused a took a deep breath. “There was an MRI taken after my fall from the tree. Clipped to it was a note stating that it was inconclusive whether the tumor was cause by the fall or just discovered due to the testing.”

“I remember the doctor mentioning that after you collapsed.”

“But there’s another note here. ‘At this time, it would cause more harm than good to remove. When the patient reaches sixteen or the tumor grows to two centimeters, whichever comes first, it should be removed as soon as possible.’” Mitsukuni couldn’t continue.

Takashi was taken aback. “You lived with it almost three and a half years longer than you should have.”

With a stricken look, Mitsukuni whispered, “I could have had normal growth spurts. I wouldn’t have had the headaches. I wouldn’t have lost control. I…”

He was interrupted by a large hand gripping his shoulder gently. “Dwelling on ‘could have’ or ‘wouldn’t have’ is unprofitable. The past cannot be changed but we can learn from it and move forward from here.”

Mitsukuni took a deep breath and smiled weakly. “Thanks, Takashi. I needed that.”

“Why did you ask about when I started guarding you?”

“This here, ‘Location of tumor may result in uncontrollable outburst, unusual sleeping habits, and delayed puberty’ along with a notation to schedule testing to see if the tumor is genetic.” Mitsukuni snorted. “That would have been nice to know years ago, but do you realize what it means now?”

“What?” Takashi asked with a quirked eyebrow.

“You don’t have to protect me—or rather protect others from me. Which is great because Reiko invited me to attend the Nekozawa Family Solstice celebration and, nothing against you, but I’d rather go alone.”

Takashi nodded. “That will work out for me too. Now I can tell Chiharu that I’ll be able to attend her family’s Christmas. We’ll be back for the Hinan Family After-Christmas Celebration.”

“We’ll be back then, too. I’m hoping I can convince Umehito and Kirimi to come as well.”

“Feeling better?” Takashi asked.

“Yes, much. But now I’m tired. Let’s call it a night.”

<OHSHC>

The weekend before Christmas break, the Host Club, Reiko, and Chiharu gathered in Kyoya and Rene’s apartment to discuss holiday plans over dinner.

“Hey, Tono,” Kaoru called.

“Yeah?” Rene turned around, still holding the platter with the last few karaage.

“Did you really make dinner all by yourself?” Kaoru continued skeptically.

Rene puffed his chest out. “Yes, I did. Kyoya had a study group.” He took the platter to the kitchen and returned to the table.

Kaoru looked to Kyoya for confirmation.

“I arrived home just five minutes before you guys got here.” Kyoya threw his hands up in a gesture of ‘believe what you like.’

Haruhi playfully swatted at Kaoru. “I, for one, think he did a very good job.”

“You’ve come a long way, Rene,” Takashi added, reaching over and clapping him on the shoulder.

“Hear, hear,” the dinner guests all agreed.

Rene blushed bright red. “Thanks guys, that means a lot to me.”

Kyoya stood and lifted his teacup. “Here’s to Rene. I will admit I had misgivings about how it would work with the two of us living here on our own, taking care of everything ourselves. He did not complain, whine, or throw tantrums. He diligently applied himself to the lessons Haruhi taught us and embraced domestic tasks with confidence. He has grown greatly in the past months and I am proud of him.”

Everyone raised their cups to acknowledge the toast.

“Thank you, otou-san, that means a lot to me,” Rene said, his voice choked with emotion.

“Okay, enough mush,” Hikaru declared. “We came here to talk about holiday plans.”

Haruhi stood up and said, “First, let’s get things cleaned up. Then we’ll have plenty of uninterrupted time to talk. Kaoru and Hikaru, you gather the dishes and take them to the kitchen. Kyoya, you and I will wash dishes since Rene made dinner.”

“Yes, okaa-san,” the twins chorused.

“How can we help?” Mitsukuni asked eagerly.

Haruhi looked around. “You and Takashi can put the dining table away after Reiko wipes it down. Chiharu, can you grab pillows from the closet and put them in the living room for us to sit on.”

Kyoya wrapped his arms around Haruhi from behind and whispered in her ear, “And who do you think you are, giving orders in my apartment?” Glancing around to be sure no one was watching, he nuzzled her neck and nipped her gently.

Haruhi spun around in his arms and slapped her hand on her neck where he left a small mark. “Behave yourself,” she hissed.

Smirking, he replied, “That’s my line.” He slid his hand down her arm and gently took her hand. “How about we go get those dishes done? Everyone is waiting on us.”

“Good idea,” she said, dragging him into the kitchen by his hand.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was settled in the living room. Rene stood up and asked, “So, what are everyone’s plans for Christmas this year?”

Mitsukuni waved a hand. “I’ll start. I’m going with Reiko and her family to the Nekozawa Solstice Celebration. We’ll be back by Christmas Eve.”

“I’ve been invited to visit Chiharu’s family,” Takashi said.

“That reminds me,” Chiharu interjected. “I have invitations here for the Hinan family and the Fujiokas to attend the Tojo Christmas Eve Gala.” She handed one invitation to Kyoya and another to Haruhi.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend,” Kyoya stated, passing the invitation to Rene.

“And why not?” Haruhi demanded.

He looked at her, “I have to attend the Otori family…oh.” He stopped, looking dumbfounded.

“That’s right. You’re no longer the third Otori son. You are--counting Usa-chan--the seventh son of the Hinan family,” Haruhi remarked, poking his arm from her spot beside him on the sofa.

Kyoya’s face lit up with a brilliant smile. “I don’t have to go to the Otori Gala and be insulted and demeaned by my father and brothers.”

“We’re your brothers now,” Hikaru and Kaoru chorused. “Harassing you is **_our_** job.”

“I…need a few minutes,” Kyoya said as he stood and walked toward his bedroom.

“Should someone go after him?” Reiko asked, concerned at the dazed expression Kyoya was wearing.

Haruhi shook her head. “It just hit him that his life paradigm has shifted. The restrictive framework of the Otori expectations no longer applies…”

“In other words,” Hikaru interrupted, “he needs to get his head on straight.”

“Hey,” Rene yelled. “That’s my brother and best friend you’re talking about.”

“He’s my brother, too,” Hikaru retorted.

Kaoru waved his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Look. Let’s put it this way. He just realized his map is out of date and the road he’s been following no longer exists. We just need to be here for him while he finds his new path.”

Haruhi reached over to where Kaoru sat on a pillow on the floor and patted his shoulder. “Thanks.”

“So, back to Christmas plans,” Rene said rubbing his hands together gleefully.

Haruhi shrugged. “The only plans I have are the usual--visiting my mother’s grave with Dad on Christmas Day. Since Hinansho will be closed for Christmas, Dad won’t have to work, so we will definitely be at the Tojo’s Gala.”

Suddenly Haruhi realized what she had said. “Guys, I am so sorry. It was insensitive of me to talk about what I usually do when this year won’t be usual for any of you.”

Kaoru and Hikaru scooted their pillows toward the sofa and laid their heads on each of Haruhi’s knees. “It’s okay. You didn’t do it to hurt us.’

Mitsukuni and Takashi murmured their agreement to the twins’ assurances.

Rene declared, “It’s not like you manufactured the circumstances that resulted in the unusual situation we’re in.”

“It is ironic that the one who created the Hinan family is the only one of the Host Club who has not needed the refuge.” Until he spoke, no one noticed that Kyoya had returned. He stood behind the sofa with his hands on Haruhi’s shoulders. “I am immensely grateful to her foresight in creating the family.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

Haruhi reached up to grasp one of his hands, too overcome to speak.

“So, Rene, since you were the only one at Hinansho last year, what are the Hinan family Christmas plans?” Kyoya prompted. 

“I think we should all work together to create new family traditions,” Rene declared. “Bring your ideas to the quarterly management meeting next week.”

Mitsukuni suggested, “Could we invite friends to attend as well? I was going to invite Umehito and Kirimi.”

“That’s a good idea,” Takashi agreed. “I’d like to invite Ritsu and Tetsuya as well.”

Rene grinned. “The more the merrier. I wonder what other traditions we’ll come up with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta left a comment at the end of this chapter after she reviewed it.
> 
> "You're a lot better than me at the casual/domestic romantic gestures. Benefits of experience, I assume."
> 
> That might be an understatement since I celebrated my 30th anniversary last month.


	18. Business as Usual

The management team for Hinansho gathered in the small dining room for a breakfast meeting. “Help yourselves everyone,” Kairi announced. “I know you all have plans and busy schedules. Please enjoy your breakfast while reading through the management packet prepared by Shima and Kosaku.”

The meeting had to be concluded in a timely manner because Reiko would be picking Mitsukuni up at noon. Takashi planned to leave at three for the Tojo estate to spend several days with his girlfriend’s family before their Christmas Eve Gala.

Rene burst into the dining room carrying a large box. He started pulling out t-shirts and handing them out to everyone. “The small family shop where I get my humorous t-shirts was struggling so I decided to special order some t-shirts for everyone at Hinansho. Consider these an early Christmas present from me.”

The shirts read, “Avoid the Classic Blunders.” Underneath was a list. “1. Never get involved in a land war in Asia. 2. Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line. 3. Never, ever cross the Hinans when family is at stake.” 

Hikaru and Kaoru held theirs up and heavy emotion colored their voices as they said, “Just like Mitsukuni said last year when we left the Hitachiin estate. Thanks, Rene. This is a great reminder that we’re here for each other.” 

Seiji sat next to Fuyumi, discussing the report while eating breakfast. He had been asked to be present for the discussion of the proposed parking garage between the sports fields and the conference center.

Kosaku watched Hibiki push food around on her plate while eating very little. “It will be fine. You’ll see,” he whispered encouragingly. She just smiled wanly.

Haruhi sat at the table, absently eating her breakfast while reading through the quarterly report prepared by Kosaku. “ _Amazing how well our investments have been doing. I’m glad we’ve been able to build such a diverse portfolio that provides so many good jobs for people. I think the joint venture with the Shido family has been far more lucrative than either of us anticipated_.” She perused the list of suggested investments and projects.

Ryoji leaned over and tapped Haruhi’s shoulder. Pointing to one of the suggested projects, he nodded toward the accountant and his wife. “Do you think they’re going to make an announcement?”

Haruhi smiled. “Could be.”

After everyone had eaten and moved their dishes to the sideboard, Kyoya stood up and asked, “Does anyone have any questions?”

Haruhi looked at Seiji and asked, “How has the Shido family felt about the partnership with the Hinans?”

“My father and uncles asked me to pass along their thanks for all the Hinan family has done for them. Business is better than ever. The Shido house we were living in is no longer needed for extended family, but Fuyumi and I have decided to remain here at Hinansho. It will be better for the kids.” He smiled and squeezed his wife’s hand.

“Glad to hear that you’ll be staying. I’d like you to take charge of the parking garage construction project,” Kyoya said.

“To that end, here are the bids I received.” Seiji passed around packets. “Although the large companies’ bids are the lowest, I recommend that we use the small family company.”

“I concur,” Takashi said. “I have heard the large companies pay their workers a pittance while giving their executives bonuses for their ‘cost cutting measures.’ I’d rather pay more to the small company that treats and pays their employees well.”

Everyone else expressed their agreement. “Good, that’s one order of business complete.” Kyoya looked down at his notes. “Next is the farm. Mr. Oota currently has four candidates that he is training as potential replacement managers. There were six, but two decided farming was not for them—too dirty and too unpredictable. The farm will only need two managers when the Ootas retire, but I would like to look into acquiring another farm that will lean more heavily toward herds and flocks than crops.”

“I’d like to look into an experimental farm for growing medicinal plants. Reiko’s studies in England covered a number of naturopathic remedies that are disappearing because the plants are not being cultivated and the natural habitats are being destroyed,” Mitsukuni offered. “I’ve been using a couple of those remedies for my growing pains. They are incredibly effective without the myriad of side effects associated with synthetic pain relievers.”

“A sound suggestion.” Kyoya made a note to follow up after the holidays. “Shima, you wished to say something to the group.”

Shima gave a dignified nod. “I wish to inform you that I will begin searching for and training a replacement. I am starting to feel my age and I wish to make the transition as seamlessly and painlessly as possible.”

Rene walked around the table and hugged her gently from behind. “No one will ever be able to replace you, but you deserve to relax and enjoy retirement.”

She patted his arm and murmured, “You are a good boy. No matter what your grandmother may think or say.”

“That reminds me,” Kyoya noted. “I received a rather interesting phone call just after school began. The caller spoke French and was searching for Tamaki Suoh, claiming Yuzuru had given her my contact information. Other than that, she did not identify herself. I have an agent in France looking into the matter.”

“Could it have been my mother?” Rene asked excitedly before sitting down in his chair again.

Kyoya shook his head sadly. “I do not believe so. Her tone sounded too professional and detached for a woman wishing to speak to her son.”

Rene slumped back dejectedly. “Oh well.” There was a moment of silence around the table as everyone acknowledged his disappointment.

“Before we proceed to the final project listed in the report, Rene’s gift reminded me of something I should have listed,” Kosaku said. “There have been several incidents recently of attempted extortion and blackmail against some of the Hinansho employees—our extended family. They have taken the form of supposedly unpaid debts or breached contracts. Several of our security personnel entered training with the Haninozuka-Morinozuka dojo so they could move away from the territory of the Sendo syndicate.

“Since I didn’t have time or expertise to pursue the investigations myself, I contacted Ryo Naruse. He recommended a private investigator with yakuza contacts and experience, Nishi Goro, and a forensic accountant, Makiko Watanabe.”

“A sound decision. Have all the allegations been cleared up?” Kyoya inquired.

“Yes, and the perpetrators are being prosecuted, including Ryoji’s former neighbor who accused him of stealing money before moving away.”

Haruhi smirked. “That was Aya Kamiyama, wasn’t it? He tried the same thing after I was admitted to Ouran, thinking Dad had come into money to pay for a private school like that.”

Kosaku smiled. “Right you are. That incident coupled with the current scam prompted us to look deeper into his dealings. It was a thick dossier among those we turned over to the police. In each case, the intent was to steal the money our people were being paid for their diligent work.”

“Please keep the investigator and accountant on retainer for future incidents,” Kyoya directed.

“Already done,” Kosaku replied. Then he turned and said, “Takashi, remind me after the holidays to introduce you to Ms. Watanabe. I mentioned to her that one of the Hinan family was training with the goal of being a forensic accountant. She would like to speak to you about an internship and possibly taking over her practice. She plans to retire about the same time you will finish your training.”

Takashi made a note and nodded in acknowledgement.

Kyoya glanced down at his notes. “Now for the last item of business. Hibiki?”

Hibiki stood up hesitantly and looked at Kosaku. He smiled in encouragement. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “A number of employees have expressed the need for an on-site child care center. They had been watching each other’s children, but increasingly busy schedules have made that arrangement very difficult. In addition, several women are expecting and nearby child care for infants is extremely limited.”

“I think it would be a very good idea,” Kaoru expressed when Hibiki paused.

“It is the next logical step in all that we’ve been doing,” Hikaru added.

Haruhi chuckled. “If it weren’t for the fact that the management team is made up of mostly teenagers, it probably would have come up much earlier.”

Hibiki blushed at the praise and affirmation. Kosaku patted her hand and nodded to her to continue. She said, “I would like to leave my front desk position and start training as a child care provider.”

Takashi smiled. “Then congratulations are in order on two counts—training for your new occupation and your coming family addition.”

Kosaku and Hibiki exchanged a glance. “How did you know?” Kosaku finally asked.

Mitsukuni chortled. “Takashi is trained in kendo. Central to that training is noticing details, like changes in habits or demeanor. Hibiki was looking rather wan and pale in the mornings a couple months ago. Now she has a glow.”

“If there is no additional business, let’s end this meeting on a high note and congratulate our perspective parents,” Kyoya announced. “Then we can compare our lists of Christmas tradition suggestions before Reiko arrives to whisk Mitsukuni away.”

<OHSHC>

Seiji leaned his back against the wall next to Kyoya’s door, looking at Fuyumi with a mischievous grin. “You look quite fetching tonight Mrs. Shido. Are you sure we have to attend the Otori party? I would much rather stay here and have a party of our own…just the two of us.”

Fuyumi eyed him appreciatively. He was extremely handsome in the suit Kaoru had designed. The vest matched her dress with silver embroidery against dove gray silk, creating the illusion of vines swaying in the wind. “Tempting offer, especially after getting someone to watch the kids. But you know how my father is.”

“True,” he replied, pushing off the wall to step closer to her. “But my family isn’t beholden to the Otoris anymore so there’s much less pressure to kowtow to his whims.”

“That’s because you are not his daughter,” Fuyumi huffed. “How that man can pout when he doesn’t get his own way.”

“Are you going to knock on Kyoya’s door and ask if he’ll watch the kids tonight? Or do I have to do it?” Seiji teased.

“I’ll do it. He is my little brother after all.” Fuyumi knocked on the door gently and it started to swing open. A look of concern crossed her face. “Kyoya?” she called tentatively as she pushed the door open further.

Kyoya and Haruhi stepped away from each other, blushing guiltily.

Fuyumi grinned. “And just what were you two up to?”

“Nothing,” Haruhi mumbled. She hid her hands behind her back.

Kyoya straightened and asked, “To what do we owe the honor of this visit?”

“I didn’t realize you two were going to the Gala this evening. Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Fuyumi’s expression was clouded.

“Bite your tongue, woman! Wild horses couldn’t drag me to the Otori Gala,” Kyoya declared indignantly, but without any heat.

“Then why so dressed up?” Fuyumi teased. “Trying to impress the niece and nephew?”

“For your information, we’ve been invited to the Tojo Christmas Eve party,” Kyoya explained.

Seiji enjoyed watching his wife spar with her younger brother. It happened more and more often since Kyoya met Haruhi. Kyoya actually relaxed enough to tease and banter with Fuyumi, which she took full advantage of. However, they had an obligation for tonight and they needed to get going. “I guess we’ll have to skip the Otori Gala since we don’t have a babysitter,” Seiji announced melodramatically, joining in the teasing.

“The kids have all been invited to the Ootas’ farm for a Christmas Eve party. None of their children were able to come this year but they wanted young people around,” Haruhi interjected.

“Good to know,” Seiji allowed, smiling as his teasing was derailed.

Haruhi’s remark drew Fuyumi’s attention and she turned to admire Haruhi’s dress. “I see the twins made you two matching outfits for tonight as well. I love the bold red and green of the holly embroidered onto that snow white sheath. Kyoya’s matching bowtie and cummerbund are the perfect foil to his dark suit—is that forest green?”

Haruhi chuckled. “Good eye. Hikaru had quite a time getting the cloth dyed dark enough to look black at a glance, but still show the green when the light hit it just right.”

“Those boys get more impressive every day. They’ve even been able to get Ageha to cooperate—occasionally.” Fuyumi’s expression spoke volumes about what a feat that was.

Seiji tapped his watch. “We need to get going. Your father wants us there a half hour before guests are scheduled to arrive.”

Fuyumi pretended to pout. “Oh, if we must. I wish we could go to the Tojo party instead. It’s so much more fun around Kyoya than Yuuichi or Akito. They are such sticks-in-the-mud.”

There was a *ding* from Kyoya’s phone. It was a text from Hikaru.

*****Stop making out! We’re waiting for you at the car out front.*****

“We should be off as well,” Kyoya stated, hiding the message from his sister’s prying eyes. “We’ll see you tomorrow morning at Christmas Brunch.”

“See you tomorrow,” Seiji replied as he guided Fuyumi out of Kyoya’s apartment and headed to their car.

“Shall we?” Kyoya offered his arm to Haruhi and they headed out as well.

<OHSHC>

“I should have realized that Ayame, Kimiko, and Natsuki would be here,” Haruhi whispered. “I guess my ‘secret’ isn’t a secret anymore.”

Chiharu blushed in embarrassment. “I didn’t even consider that when I invited everyone.”

Kyoya wrapped an arm around Haruhi’s shoulders. “It was only a matter of time.”

“At least everyone seems to be taking it well,” Mitsukuni offered. Reiko nodded in agreement.

Takashi murmured, “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the way the men are staring at her.”

Hikaru said, “They’re just surprised.”

“And can you blame them? You devil twins have done your job a little too well.” Rene threw his arms around Hikaru and Kaoru’s shoulders, then looked at Kyoya. “You have to admit, mon ami, Haruhi is gorgeous. The dress just makes it obvious to everyone else.”

“But what about at Ouran? Won’t they be bothering her there since I’m away at University?” Kyoya scowled at the thought.

Kaoru grinned. “Just leave it to your brothers. We’ll take good care of her.”

Hikaru rubbed his hands together gleefully with a devilish look on his face. “I can’t wait. It’s been kind of boring with Tono away at University, no one to tease or prank.”

“Okay, guys, enough for now.” Haruhi laughed at their antics. “I want to dance with my significant other. You can have your turns later.”

Kyoya smirked and led her out to the dance floor. Rene and the twins went off to find their own dance partners.

The next three hours flew by as everyone enjoyed the party. After Chiharu’s parents dismissed the guests at the end of the festivities, Reiko, Umehito, Kirimi, and Chiharu accompanied the Host Club back to Hinansho to join in the Christmas celebration there.

<OHSHC>

Seiji rubbed Fuyumi’s back in gentle circles as he tried hard—very hard to suppress his laughter. She fumed, “The nerve of that man! Announcing Yuuichi as heir was one thing, but to allow Shizue to announce that Akito would be her heir. And then blaming Tamaki for disappearing. No mention of Kyoya at all—like he never existed. I could just…just…”

Unable to hold it in any longer, Seiji let out a hearty laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Fuyumi demanded indignantly.

He shook his head as he tried to catch his breath. “Think about it. Remember what happened the week before Kyoya and Rene started University?”

Fuyumi shot him a look and asked icily, “What does that have to do with this?” She crossed her arms and glared at him.

“Put the pieces together. Rene taken to the airport to be forcibly shipped off to France. Kyoya disowned. The Suoh lawyer showing up at the courthouse to file adoption papers for Kyoya.”

“Yeah? So?” Confusion was written on Fuyumi’s face. “We knew all of that back in August.”

“Shizue’s announcement was the last piece to the puzzle…the big picture of what was going on in August.” Seiji looked at her hopefully.

The light dawned in Fuyumi’s expression and she started to laugh. “I get it now. Father made a deal with Shizue. She would get rid of Rene—well, Tamaki—and Father would disown Kyoya so she could adopt him. But Kyoya foiled their plans because he had his own already in place. So Shizue had to settle for seconds and Father had to forfeit Akito in Kyoya’s place.”

Seiji chuckled. “I almost want to send them a postcard that says, ‘Never, ever cross the Hinans when family is at stake,’ but I don’t think they’ve figured out yet that it was the Hinan family that intervened.”

“I know. Father was not-so-subtly asking if I had seen or talk to Kyoya recently. I responded, ‘He’s away at University. Why would I have any reason to contact him?’ Father was none-too-pleased with me,” Fuyumi admitted. “Did he think I would tell him, ‘Oh right now I live just down the hall from him and I caught him making out with his significant other just before we came to the party.’ Really! The utter gall of that man.”

Seiji nuzzled Fuyumi’s ear and whispered, “You know, I don’t think he even knows where we live, much less where Kyoya lives.”

Her eyes widened as she realized her husband was correct. Yoshio had no idea they were living at Hinansho. Fuyumi giggle conspiratorially. “What do you say to blowing off the next mandatory Otori family dinner? It’s not like he can show up on our doorstep and demand to know why we weren’t there.”

Chuckling warmly, Seiji said huskily, “That’s a plan I can get behind whole-heartedly. Let’s do it.”

Snuggling into her husband’s side, Fuyumi commented sleepily, “We have some very interesting things to tell everyone at brunch tomorrow morning.”

Seiji kissed the top of her head. “Indeed, we do.”

<OHSHC>

Ryoji and Haruhi knelt in front of Kotoko’s grave, each lost in their own thoughts. The air was cold and they huddle together both for warmth and mutual emotional support.

Reaching a hand forward, Ryoji traced his wife’s name on the stone. “ _It’s been nearly thirteen years and I still miss you. There were times I wasn’t sure we’d make it without you. But Haruhi pulled us through.”_

When Ryoji started tracing her mother’s name, Haruhi stood up and stepped back to give them some privacy.

He paused to wipe away tears. _“For years our little girl closed herself off, trying to be strong like you taught her to be. Oh, she was extremely independent—and stubborn. I know she got that from you.”_

Pausing again, this time he chuckled. _“Recently she’s started to let others in. Our Haruhi has developed into a young lady that would make you so proud. I know I’m proud of our little girl. She has surrounded herself with good people and she’s finally opened herself up, giving and accepting help—and, I hope, love. You would approve of the young man who has asked my permission to court her. He’s as different from me as night is from day, but he makes her eyes sparkle.”_

Haruhi stood back, contemplating the man in front of her. “ _He still loves her and still misses her, though lately I’ve noticed a shift—a change in him that I can’t quite put my finger on. Something’s different_.”

Ryoji caressed the stone one last time before he stood up and declared, “Let’s go home. I’m freezing.”

She wrapped her arm around his waist and he draped his arm over her shoulders. They walked for several minutes in companionable silence.

Suddenly it dawned on Haruhi what was different and she stopped in her tracks, startling Ryoji.

“Something wrong, Baby Girl?” He looked down at her quizzically.

She turned toward him and cocked her head. “Dad, don’t take this wrong, but when did you last dress as Ranka? I can’t seem to remember.”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise and then drew down in concentration. “Let’s see…when did I dress up last?”

The pair stood quietly as Ryoji cast about in his memory. Finally, he said tentatively, “I think it was my last night working at the bar. After that, I didn’t have to dress up for work because Hinansho has those really nice uniforms.”

“Do you miss it?”

Scratching the stubble on his chin, Ryoji contemplated the question. “I hadn’t given it any thought. I didn’t even dress up in September when I went to Karuizawa to visit Misuzu. It’s funny. I started dressing up because I missed Kotoko and I wanted you to have a mother-figure to look up to. Then it got me the better job at the okama bar, so I kept doing it.”

They were almost to the car when Ryoji continued his musings. “It’s funny. At the bar, they were only accepting of Ranka. Whenever I went in as Ryoji, they’d get very uncomfortable and still insist on calling me Ranka. But you and your friends have been accepting of both Ranka and Ryoji—even to the point of addressing me properly, depending on the role I was in.”

“I love you, Dad. I’ve looked up to you no matter how you dressed or acted. And I’ll always support you, whatever decisions you make.” Before getting into the car, Haruhi pulled Ryoji into a hug and whispered, “You’re the best, Dad.”

Before releasing her, he responded, “I love you, Baby Girl. Don’t you ever forget that.”

She climbed into the car. “Let’s go home and see what festivities they’ve decided on for the Hinan family Christmas.”

“Hear, hear,” Ryoji said as he hurried around the car and climbed in to drive them home.

<OHSHC>

Rene stood at the front door, watching dejectedly as the last of the cars with their friends pulled away. “Time flew by so fast. It seems like they all just got here and now they’re gone.”

The twins stood on either side of him, draping their arms across his shoulders. “We’re still here.”

He started to brighten a little. “That’s true. Even though our friends left, I have five brothers now. I don’t think you know how good it feels to say that.”

Hikaru declared, “Enough of this moping. I think we need…”

“…movies, snacks, and a cuddle pile,” Kaoru finished.

“Can we join too?” Mitsukuni asked. “Reiko and Chiharu just left, but we miss them already.”

Takashi nodded in agreement.

“Of course. We just need to hunt down where Kyoya and Haruhi are hiding,” Hikaru said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Kaoru grinned. “Probably making out somewhere.” He elbowed his brother teasingly.

Rene struck a dramatic pose and paused for effect before declaring, “Let the ‘Find Kyoya and Haruhi’ game commence.”

The five brothers ran off laughing, intent on finding their missing brother and his significant other.

Meanwhile, upstairs in Haruhi’s old apartment, Kyoya was arranging pillows and blankets on the floor in the living room while Haruhi was in the kitchen preparing snacks and beverages.

“How long do you think it will take them to figure out where we are?” Kyoya called.

Haruhi laughed. “I’m not sure. I told Dad and Fuyumi that we would be here. What’s the probability that they will actually ask if anyone has seen us?”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” Kyoya surveyed the room and moved two low tables into place, waiting for Haruhi to finish in the kitchen.

She looked around happily. “I think we have enough snacks for tonight. Would you come help me carry them into the living room?”

Kyoya leaned on the kitchen door jamb and smirked. “As you wish.”

Haruhi grinned and then lifted up on her toes to give him a kiss.

They had just finished arranging the snacks and beverages when Kyoya said, “Shh. I think I hear them in the hall.”

“I hear them, too.” Haruhi giggled and then tackled Kyoya into the pile of pillows.

He promptly flipped her onto her back and started tickling her sides, laughing at her silliness as she tried to regain control of the situation.

Rene flung the door open and announced, “We found you.”

Hikaru and Kaoru leaned against the door jambs and chorused, “Just like we said, making out.”

Mitsukuni pushed his way between the twins and looked around. “Looks more like they read our minds and were getting things ready for our party.”

Kyoya stood up and gave Haruhi a hand to stand as well. “We wondered how long it would take you guys to find us. We just finished getting everything set out.”

Takashi quirked an eyebrow.

Haruhi blushed. “We only started horsing around when we heard you guys in the hallway. Really.”

“Uh-huh,” Takashi murmured, unconvinced. The twins burst out laughing.

Rene looked around, grinned, and said, “So, what are we watching first?”

“I don’t care what we watch,” Haruhi said. “But I want to register my objections to one of the traditions we tried out.”

“What!?” Rene pouted. “How could you possibly object to one of our traditions?”

“Look, I don’t mind wearing a swimsuit during the summer, but I absolutely refuse to wear one to swim outside in December.”

“Hear, hear,” Hikaru and Kaoru agreed. “We thought we were going to catch pneumonia.”

“Were there any other traditions you guys didn’t like?” Rene asked tentatively.

Haruhi and Kyoya exchanged a glance and a smile before Kyoya said, “Let’s definitely keep the ‘Find the Mistletoe’ game.”

“I agree,” Takashi and Mitsukuni said at the same time, and then looked at each other and laughed.

“Definitely keep the making and decorating Christmas cookies,” Mitsukuni proclaimed.

“Christmas brunch as well,” Takashi added. “But let’s skip the mystery food lunch.”

“But we liked that one,” the twins protested.

“It’s better suited for Halloween or April Fool’s Day,” Takashi clarified.

“Undecorating and packing up the ornaments is a definite keeper,” Haruhi stated. “It gives us an opportunity to share stories with our friends and it will become more important as we add ornaments and our family expands. It’s always good to reminisce and share memories.”

“I think we should keep this as a tradition was well,” Kyoya remarked. “Time together as family after all the friends have left.”

Rene brightened. “That’s all great input. But the question still remains...what are we going to watch?”

<OHSHC>

Haruhi was a little nervous about returning to school after the holidays. Her ‘secret’ had gotten out during the Tojo Christmas Eve Party and the Ouran students in attendance had been fine with the news. That didn’t mean everyone else at Ouran would be.

“ _Well, it’s not like I actually lied to anyone. No one ever bothered to ask me if I was male or female. The administration has known the truth from the beginning and that’s all that really matters. They just made assumptions based on my outward appearance._ ” She squared her shoulders and prepared to meet disapproval

“Stop worrying,” Kaoru muttered, poking her in the ribs. “You look like you’re about to take on the Mongolian hordes single-handed.”

“And your glower could stun them all at a hundred yards,” Hikaru teased.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t borrow trouble. Maybe no one at the party said anything…”

Yasuchika came running up and blurted out, “Is it true?” Satoshi followed closely behind shaking his head in exasperation at his cousin.

“Is what true?” Kaoru asked.

Satoshi rolled his eyes. “Is it true Haruhi’s gender is not a secret anymore?”

Hikaru chortled. “I guess that answers our question about whether anyone at the party said anything.”

Haruhi took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of her nose, and huffed, “Well, we might as well head to class. Nothing more we can do about the revelation.”

Kaoru poked her in the ribs again. “If you were wearing glasses, I’d say your Kyoya is showing.”

“Have you two been spending too much time together?” Hikaru asked teasingly. “Don’t worry, this will all blow over soon.”

It took a few weeks, but the novelty of the idea finally wore off. Hikaru and Kaoru were busy the first week creatively pranking anyone who gave Haruhi a hard time. 

There was only one incident where a male student attempted an aggressive sexual assault against Haruhi. It was only an attempt because Yasuchika and Satoshi seem to appear out of nowhere to protect her. The story of his sound thrashing was enough to make others think twice about making a pass at Haruhi. 

Everyone realized that Haruhi continued acting the same way she always had. Gender wasn’t a big deal to her, she just treated people the way she always had, with respect and dignity.

<OHSHC>

After Haruhi’s birthday, Hikaru started acting moody and lost all interest in designing and cosplay. He even started avoiding Kaoru after snapping at him one morning. He spent a lot of time restlessly wandering the grounds of Hinansho.

Kaoru withdrew into his designs and homework, keeping his distance from Hikaru. Frequently, he could be found in the Shido’s apartment, asking Ageha’s opinion on designs.

One day Haruhi was surprised when Ageha walked up to her in the hallway, planted her fists on her hips, and demanded, “Aunt Haruhi, what are you going to do about my brothers?”

“I’m worried about them, too,” Haruhi admitted. “I just don’t know how to help. They’ve never separated like this before.”

“Tell me about it. Hikaru has been stalking around the grounds like a panther with a toothache. And woe to the unsuspecting person who crosses his path.” Ageha blew her bangs out of her eyes. “Kaoru isn’t any better. He practically follows me around like a lost puppy.”

“I have noticed, Ageha.” Haruhi admitted.

Ageha clasped her hands together and held them out in front of her. “Please. I am begging you. Do something. Anything. Maybe one of your cuddle pile weekends or something. Hibiki and I have friends coming for a sleepover this weekend and it would be weird to have Kaoru show up and try to join us.”

Haruhi chuckled at the mental image. “You know, that’s a good idea. I’ll call the others and see if they can make it for the weekend as well.”

“I don’t care what you do, just keep them away from me this weekend. You know I would hate to hurt my brothers, but if it comes down to it…” She left the implied threat hanging in the air.

“Understood. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks, Aunt Haruhi. You’re the best.” Ageha turned and skipped away.

Haruhi shook her head as she watched the six-year-old head back to the Shido apartment. _“She has a unique way of expressing it, but she cares about her brothers and she’s worried about them right now. I have to admit, I’m worried about them too_.”

Kyoya answered immediately when he saw that Haruhi was calling. “To what to I owe this pleasant surprise?”

“Ageha just cornered me in the hallway and asked me to do something about her brothers. Hikaru and Kaoru are having a very hard time right now with the anniversary of their parents’ death coming up soon.”

“Let me have Rene get Mitsukuni and Takashi and we can brainstorm together about this.” He moved the phone away from his mouth but Haruhi could still hear his muffled conversation with Rene.

“He’ll be right back. How are you doing? Has the shock over your gender reveal finally worn off at Ouran?” he teased.

Haruhi chuckled. “Finally. I think the birthday party that the former Host Club clients threw for me had a lot to do with it. They made sure there were a lot of gag gifts and appropriate humor to ease any final tension.”

“Good to hear. Oh, wait, they’re here. I’m going to put you on speaker.”

Kyoya laid his phone on the kitchen table so they could all hear.

“Ageha suggested a cuddle pile weekend, but I don’t know what everyone’s plans are so close to Valentine’s Day,” Haruhi said.

Mitsukuni exchanged a glance with Takashi before he spoke. “Reiko and I are double dating with Takashi and Chiharu the weekend after Valentine’s. They have a girls’ weekend planned with some other Ouran friends this weekend, so we’re available to come.”

“I will admit that lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened last year at this time. It was quite a blow,” Rene murmured. “I think I could really use the time together too.”

“Then we are agreed?” Kyoya confirmed. The others nodded and Kyoya said for Haruhi’s benefit, “Guys, she can’t hear your brains rattle.” That was followed by a chorus of “Agreed” from all of them.

“Okay. I’ll get things set up in my old apartment. I’ll talk to Kairi about something special for dinner. Does anyone have any other ideas?”

“I think low-key would be best for this weekend. No plans or expectations, just emotional support and mutual caring,” Kyoya clarified.

“We’ll go pack now and head out as soon as our classes have finished tomorrow,” Mitsukuni offered.

Haruhi sighed happily. “Thanks, guys. I’m not going to tell them about this so it can be a surprise. I think they would like that.”

“Good night. We’ll see you tomorrow,” they all said before ending the call.

<OHSHC>

“Hikaru, please see me after class,” the teacher said sternly.

His scowl deepened and a slumped further down in his chair. Haruhi wanted so much to comfort him but during class was not the time or place.

When class was dismissed, Kaoru practically bolted from the room after he whispered, “I’ll meet you guys at the car.”

“ _How did he know I was going to stay with Hikaru?”_ Haruhi shrugged and made her way to the teacher’s desk even before Hikaru had stirred himself from his chair.

“Excuse me, Fujioka,” the teacher said absently. “I need to speak with Hitachiin…”

“Actually, it’s Hinan,” Haruhi corrected politely, but firmly.

“That’s not the point,” the teacher replied.

Haruhi remained adamant. “That is exactly the point. It has been a year since Hikaru and Kaoru’s parents were killed. I know from experience how hard that can be.”

“Then why hasn’t Kaoru been acting out as well?” the teacher demanded.

Haruhi scowled. “As an adult, you should know that everyone expresses grief differently. Just because they are twins, doesn’t mean that they react the same.”

Now the teacher scowled. “So you want me to just ignore Hikaru’s behavior because he’s dealing with grief?”

“I don’t want you to ignore it. I want you to acknowledge that there is a valid reason for it and cut him some slack. His brothers have a surprise planned for this weekend that should help immensely.”

“You mean brother, don’t you?” the teacher clarified.

“No, I did not misspeak. He has four brothers besides Kaoru. They are currently at University but they are coming home for the weekend just to support Hikaru and Kaoru through this very difficult time.”

Hikaru finally arrived at the teacher’s desk with a dark scowl on his face. “You wanted to speak to me?” he asked insolently.

“I did, but what I have to say has changed, given the insight from Fujioka,” the teacher said quietly. “Get some rest and relax this weekend. You’ve been under a great deal of stress. Hopefully, you’ll feel better next week.”

Trying to contain his surprise at the teacher’s understanding, he looked at Haruhi and gave her a half-hearted, lopsided smile.

Haruhi wrapped her arm around his waist and said, “Kaoru’s waiting for us in the car. Let’s go home.”

Hikaru draped his arm across her shoulders and leaned his head against hers. “Thanks. It helps that you know what I’m going through.”

When they reached the car, Haruhi climbed in first. Kaoru scooted as far as he could to the other side of the seat. Hikaru climbed in and leaned against the door.

Haruhi looked back and forth between them. “Okay, guys. It’s time to clear the air.” She reached over and grabbed Kaoru’s hand, pulling him to her side so she could coax his head to her shoulder. Then she did the same to Hikaru.

“I know you’ve both been feeling confused and out-of-sorts. Hikaru, did you mean to snap at Kaoru?”  
  


Hikaru mumbled, “No, I just miss Mom and Dad. When he asked me a question like Mom used to, it hurt to remember she was gone.”

Haruhi kissed the top of his head and turned to Kaoru. “Do you understand that Hikaru wasn’t really upset with you?”

“I know,” Kaoru admitted. “What hurt was when he withdrew. I was feeling the loss of Mom and Dad as well. Then suddenly my brother was missing too.”

Hikaru reached across Haruhi and grabbed Kaoru’s hand. Haruhi kissed the top of Kaoru’s head. “Feeling better now?”

“Yeah,” the pair chorused quietly.

“Good. I finished all my homework during lunch today so we can spend the whole weekend together. How does that sound?”

The twins exchanged mischievous glances before rubbing their cheeks against Haruhi’s and responding, “Purr-fect.”

When they reached Hinansho, Haruhi said, “Go get changed out of your uniforms. I’ll see if Kairi will send dinner up. Do you want to eat in my old apartment?”

“Okay. Then we can watch movies afterward,” Kaoru agreed.

“Come get me at my dad’s apartment since I have to change out of my uniform as well,” she reminded them as they headed to the elevator and she headed to the kitchen.

Kairi saw the trio come in the front door and he waited out of sight until Haruhi was alone. “Psst.”

Haruhi jumped slightly and shook her head at him. “I take it everything is ready?”

“Yes, and the others arrived about an hour ago. You three were later than usual today, weren’t you?”

“The teacher was going to reprimand Hikaru about his behavior, but I convinced her that he had reason and he would be better on Monday.”

“You guys have a good weekend. Just give me a call if you need anything.”

“We will. Thanks, Kairi.”

Haruhi hurried to her bedroom and quickly changed into a comfortable pair of sleep shorts and the ‘Classic Blunders’ t-shirt. She was just pulling on a pair of fuzzy socks when there was a knock at the door.

“Perfect timing, guys,” she said as she opened the door. She stepped out and closed it behind her. “Let’s get the pillows and blankets set up while we wait for Kairi to send dinner up.”

“I wish the others could be here,” Kaoru said wistfully.

“Yeah, but they’re probably busy at University and don’t have time,” Hikaru mumbled.

Haruhi opened the door to her old apartment and stepped aside for the twins to enter.

Just as Hikaru flipped the light on, the four University students shouted, “Surprise!”

“You came,” Hikaru said incredulously.

“Of course we came,” Takashi responded. “We knew you would need us.”

Kaoru just looked at them, trying to hide the tears.

Rene stepped forward. “I know just what we need.”

Everyone looked at him quizzically.

“GROUP HUG.”

Hikaru and Kaoru were pushed together and the others gathered around them, hugging them until Hikaru cried, “Okay. Enough. Let’s eat dinner before it gets cold.”

Laughing, everyone settled around the table where Kairi had laid out a special dinner for them. “I really like it when we can get together like this,” Kaoru said quietly.

“Just think,” Rene said happily. “Next year, we’ll all be at University and we can do this on a regular basis.”

Kyoya looked across the table at Haruhi who was sitting between Hikaru and Kaoru and winked. “It will be good for all of us to be together again.”

They spent the rest of dinner time talking about their classes and assignments, friends, plans for Valentine’s Day, and any other topic that came up.

After dinner, Hikaru announced, “I need a walk. I’ll be back soon.”

“May I join you?” Takashi asked. 

An expression flashed across Hikaru’s face too quickly for anyone to interpret it, but Takashi surmised that he was remembering last year and his dash from the room.

“If you want to be alone, I can stay here,” Takashi clarified.

“No, I’d like you to come along. I was just remembering how relieved I was last year when you came after me.”

“Don’t get lost,” Kaoru teased half-heartedly. He drooped as soon as his twin left the apartment.

Kyoya whispered in Haruhi’s ear, “Why don’t you keep Kaoru company while Rene and I clean up?”

Haruhi kissed him lightly. “Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you.” She turned to Kaoru and said, “Want to help me get pillows and blankets set up for tonight?”

Hikaru walked toward the hedge maze and Takashi followed, each lost in their own thoughts.

“ _I can’t believe it’s been a year_ ,” Hikaru mused. “ _I feel guilty that I don’t miss Mom and Dad more than I do. Is something wrong with me? I see how much Haruhi misses her mom and she still has her dad.”_ He hunched his shoulders and walked a little faster.

“ _I hope he’s okay_.” Takashi watched as Hikaru seemed to draw into himself even more. “ _I know everyone deals with grief in their own way. I just hope he knows that we’re all here for him when he needs us._ ”

Their contemplations were interrupted by girlish shrieks and giggles coming from the hedge maze.

Ageha and Hibiki popped out of the shrubs and Ageha squealed, “It’s the panther! Save me!” The girls darted on either side of Hikaru, who was startled by their sudden appearance. 

Hikaru looked around, totally confused. “Wait? What?” He turned and saw Takashi swoop a girl up in each arm and swing them around, attempting to locate the predator threatening them.

“What panther?” Takashi finally asked.

Ageha pointed to Hikaru. “He’s been stalking around Hinansho like a panther for the past week.” Then she giggled and made a face at her brother.

Deciding to play along, Hikaru started moving stealthily toward Takashi.

“Save us, Uncle Takashi,” Hibiki squealed, clinging to his neck.

Takashi chuckled as he spun around and dodged away from Hikaru. “Don’t worry, I’ll save you.” He headed toward the hedge maze where four other first-year elementary girls were standing frozen, watching their friends being carried by a giant.

Shifting the girls to his shoulders, Takashi made a show of fighting off the ‘panther.’ “Hold on tight girls.”

Ageha and Hibiki were laughing so hard they were having trouble catching their breath.

Hikaru decided to really get into the part so he circled around Takashi and started ‘stalking’ the other girls.

At first the girls didn’t know what to do. Then Ageha yelled, “Run for the gazebo at the center of the maze,” as she wiggled to get down from Takashi’s shoulder. 

As soon as Takashi set Ageha and Hibiki on the ground, they grabbed the hands of their friends and started running. Two of the girls just stood there, apparently too scared to run.

Takashi scooped the pair up and ran after the other four girls.

Hikaru got into the spirit of the game by growling and rustling the bushes as he made his way through the maze.

Fuyumi looked up from her book as Ageha, Hibiki, and two of their friends burst into the clearing at the center of the hedge maze. They immediately headed to Fuyumi who was sitting on the steps of the gazebo. “What’s up? And where are the other two? You didn’t desert them did you?”

At that moment, Takashi entered the clearing carrying the other two girls. Then Fuyumi heard the growling and hedges rustling. If it weren’t for the grin on Takashi’s face, Fuyumi would have been worried.

“Okay, what’s going on?” She looked at the girls as they clustered around the gentle giant, clinging to his hands, arms, and legs. “Is something chasing you?”

“A panther!” Ageha and Hibiki shouted together and then descended into giggles.

There was a loud growl and then the bushes shook violently before everything went silent.

Fuyumi was just about to ask again about what was going on, when Hikaru dashed into the clearing looking over his shoulder like he was being followed. Suddenly he dropped to the ground and started laughing heartily.

Looking between the six little girls clinging to Takashi and Hikaru laying on his back on the ground laughing, Fuyumi finally demanded, “Okay, what’s going on?”

Takashi chuckled. “Ageha accused Hikaru of stalking around Hinansho like a panther, so we decided to play along.”

Ageha pushed her away around Takashi and launched herself at Hikaru. He caught her easily and held her up in the air, moving his fingers on her sides to tickle her.

Wiggling out of his grasp, she pulled him into a seated position so she could wrap her arms around his neck in a near-suffocating hug. Whispering in his ear, she said, “Thanks for playing. Now go have your sleepover with your friends so I can have one with mine.”

“Very well,” he responded as he stood up. As she started to head back to the gazebo, he picked her up and swung her around until they were both dizzy.

Before the young men left to return to their own sleepover, Hikaru said, “Hey, Ageha. How about we all play together tomorrow? Maybe pull out some of the cosplay outfits?”

“Yeah,” she agreed with a big grin.

Fuyumi stopped them before they headed out through the maze. “Thanks for helping wear them out. I don’t know where I got the idea that I could handle an outdoor sleepover with six first-year elementary girls.” Then she pulled Hikaru into a hug and whispered, “I’m glad you’re feeling better. We’ve been worried about you.”

“Thanks,” he said, returning the hug.

Takashi and Hikaru walked in a companionable silence once again as they headed back to the apartment to see what the others were up to.

Haruhi met them at the door. “Feeling better?”

Hikaru grinned. “We played with Ageha, Hibiki, and their friends for a little bit. I suggested that we may all play together tomorrow with the cosplay outfits.”

“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Rene declared, striking a dramatic pose.

“Of course, you would think that since there will be young ladies to impress,” Kyoya drawled, rolling his eyes.

Haruhi laughed. “Once the Host Club Princely-type, always the Host Club Princely-type.”

“So, who wants to watch a movie?” Kaoru asked.

“I’d rather play a card game,” Mitsukuni offered.

Hikaru rubbed his hands together gleefully. “How about poker?”

“Hey, Haruhi, do we have anything we could use for betting in poker?” Kaoru called.

“I’ll check.” She returned a few minutes later with a bag of rice crackers and a box of pocky sticks. “Will these do?”

“Sure, until we eat them,” Mitsukuni teased.

As they settled on pillows around one of the low tables, Kyoya said, “I would like to make an announcement.”

“Let me guess,” Haruhi interrupted, “You’ve taken over the Otori group…again.”

“Not worth my time,” he snorted. “I have made arrangements for a graduation trip for all of us.”

“Where are we going?” Hikaru and Kaoru asked in unison.

“We will be going to London and then to Paris.” Kyoya waited for their reactions.

The twins exchanged a glance before they said softly, “Thank you. We’ve been wanting to go, but didn’t want to go alone.”

Rene broke his stunned silence. “We’re going to look for my mom?” he asked, barely able to believe it.

Mitsukuni declared, “Yeah! We get to take a vacation as a family!”

“And Haruhi. We can’t forget Haruhi,” Takashi clarified. “We wouldn’t be a family without okaa-san. Right, otou-san?”

Kyoya’s ears started to turn pink at the teasing until Haruhi leaned over and kissed him soundly. Then he flushed bright red.

Everyone laughed, including Kyoya.


	19. Another Graduation

As Yuzuru delivered the graduation address, Haruhi was lost in her own thoughts. “ _This is the third Ouran graduation I’ve attended and it’s my own. It probably won’t be my last since Masaya, Hibiki, and Ageha will graduate from Ouran. Then, of course, there are Yasuchika and Satoshi who will graduate next year._

_“It’s funny, when I started at Ouran, I expected to have just Dad here for my graduation. Instead, I have Dad, Tachibana, Mitsukuni, Takashi, Kyoya, and Rene. Fuyumi said she was going to try coaxing Ageha to come see her brothers graduate.”_ She glanced over at Hikaru and Kaoru to see how they were doing.

Hikaru shifted in his seat as Yuzuru continued to drone on. “ _I really wish Mom and Dad were here to see this. I know they would be proud of us_. _I wonder if Fuyumi convinced Ageha to come?_ ”

Kaoru felt Hikaru’s fidgeting and reached over to link his pinky with this brother’s. He looked around the crowd to see if the four from University had made it in time. His eyes widened as he saw not the six or eight people he expected to attend the graduation, but a small crowd representing the Hinan family and friends.

Kaoru nudged Hikaru and inclined his head toward their cheering section. In addition to the expected Hinansho residents, there were Shima, Atsuhiro, Kosaku with a very pregnant Hibiki, the other Shido family members, Kairi with his fiancé Momo. They also saw Reiko sitting with Mitsukuni and Chiharu with Takashi.

“Is that…?” Hikaru started to ask, pointing to six familiar faces that he couldn’t quite place.

“Wow,” Kaoru breathed quietly. “That’s the legal group that was involved in our custody battle against Rina Tsukuda. That’s Ryo Naruse and Mei Nagano from the law firm where Haruhi still interns, Judge Ryuzaki and his clerk Sae Ueno who notarized Mom, Dad, and Grandmother’s affidavits, as well as Judge Hatori who presided at our hearing.”

“Yeah. And there’s Misaki Danno. He’s the clerk from the courthouse that alerted Haruhi to Yoshio’s shenanigans with Kyoya,” Hikaru whispered.

Kaoru counted their crowd. “Here I was expecting six, maybe eight, to show up for us and here we have twenty-five.”

“Granted the six legal professionals are probably here mostly for Haruhi, but I don’t mind,” Hikaru responded.

They were startled out of their quiet conversation by Yuzuru concluding his speech and starting the diploma presentation.

Before she knew it, Haruhi was executing the precise choreography of the ceremony. As she walked away from Yuzuru, she was struck with a sudden thought. “ _What if Yuzuru sees Rene? How will he react? Why didn’t I think of this before? I don’t even have time to alert him or Kyoya because I don’t have my phone with me and I have to head to homeroom. I wonder if they thought of that and have a contingency plan_.”

Kyoya watched Haruhi with admiration as she received her diploma. “ _Even though she didn’t have the scholarship to maintain this year, she still graduated at the top of her class...while also taking University courses and continuing her internship_.”

He was startled out of his musings when he realized Yuzuru was staring at him between presenting diplomas. Kyoya turned his head slightly. “ _Or is he looking at Rene?_ _I didn’t even think about that. We were all just so excited about watching Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru graduate that we didn’t consider what might happen if Yuzuru spotted Rene.”_

Rene stiffened in his seat. “ _He’s looking right at me. I didn’t think he’d see me in this crowd_.” Subconsciously, Rene grabbed Kyoya’s sleeve. “ _What if he corners me and they try to get rid of me again?”_ His breathing increased as he started to panic.

Feeling the tension in Rene’s grip, Kyoya reached across with his other hand and laid it gently on Rene’s that was grasping desperately at his sleeve. “What do you need? How can I help?” he whispered.

“Hide me,” was Rene’s desperate whimper. “Don’t let them try to get rid of me again. I don’t want to disappear. What if Atsuhiro hadn’t been able to…” He was getting more and more agitated as he thought about what had happened the previous fall.

Ryo Naruse leaned forward and tapped Kyoya lightly on the shoulder. “Can I help?”

Rene abruptly swung his head around to see who was taking Kyoya’s attention and relaxed slightly, seeing that it was the Hinan family lawyer.

Without turning, Kyoya said softly, “When the ceremony finishes, could you immediately drive Rene to Hinansho?”

“Certainly. I’ll take care of it.” Ryo squeezed Rene’s shoulder comfortingly before whispering, “Don’t worry. We’re all here for you.”

Their attention returned to the stage just as Hikaru and Kaoru were receiving their diplomas. Kyoya looked over the students that were still waiting for their procession across the stage and presentation. “I estimate another half hour at most and the ceremony will be over. I will do my best to distract Yuzuru if needed while you get Rene out of here.”

“We have a plan. Judge Hatori and Misaki Danno will lead while Mei and Sae flank Rene. Judge Ryusaki and I will bring up the rear. We’ll head straight to the cars and leave immediately,” Ryo explained quietly.

Rene sighed in relief. “Thank you. I really appreciate this.”

“I do as well.” Kyoya took a deep breath and patted Rene’s hand that was still clinging to his sleeve.

Soon the ceremony was over. Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru gathered in homeroom with their classmates to wish each other the best and say their farewells before heading out for their final tour of the school as students.

As soon as Hikaru and Kaoru stepped out of the homeroom door, Ageha flung herself at them, yelling, “Congratulations!” Hikaru caught her easily and swung her around. Kaoru stepped back to avoid being hit by her flying feet. 

Once Hikaru stood still, Kaoru stepped close to trap Ageha between them in a hug. She wrapped an arm around each of their necks and squeezed, squealing in their ears, “I am so proud of you two!”

Kaoru pried gently at her arm around his windpipe. “Okay, okay. Breathing is a thing, you know.”

Ageha giggle and wiggled to get down out of her brothers embrace. Grabbing their hands, she demanded, “Let’s get this tour done so we can head home for dinner.”

Hikaru and Kaoru just shrugged and exchanged a glance that said, “What can you do? She’s too cute to deny.”

Haruhi laughed and followed the trio after Ageha yelled over her shoulder, “That means you too, Aunt Haruhi. Let’s go.”

Kyoya sighed in relief as he watched Rene being escorted safely away by the legal team. “ _Hopefully the plan goes smoothly_.”

“Kyoya, is that you?” Yuzuru called.

Turning, Kyoya smiled. “Chairman Suoh, good speech today.”

“Thank you,” he responded distractedly. “Was that Tamaki I saw sitting next to you today?”

“No, that was Hikaru and Kaoru’s brother, Rene.”

Yuzuru frowned. “Do you know why Tamaki hasn’t contacted me? I’ve tried calling his phone but it’s no longer in service. Because he’s been your roommate since last fall, I was hoping you could tell me what’s going on.”

“Tamaki never showed up last fall,” Kyoya said, watching Yuzuru’s expression. “ _Was he party to Shizue’s plans? Or did she leave him in the dark as well?_ ”

“What?!? He didn’t?”

“No. And I received no message from him. Rene has been my roommate all year. When I told Hikaru and Kaoru I had to find a new roommate because Tamaki never showed up, they told me their brother was also starting at Tokyo University and needed a place to stay.”

Yuzuru’s expression was pure confusion. “I don’t understand. He was so excited about University and being your roommate. What could have happened?”

“Could he have heard about Shizue’s plan to replace him as the Suoh heir? I was surprised by the announcement at Christmas time,” Kyoya stated. “Maybe he thought he wasn’t wanted or needed anymore.”

“No,” Yuzuru whispered. “It couldn’t have been like that, could it?” He looked at Kyoya with a puzzled expression on his face that hardened into determination. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go have a serious conversation with my mother.” With that, he turned and abruptly walked away.

Tachibana, Ryoji, and the Shido family joined Kyoya, waiting for him to finish his ruminations about the conversation he had just had with Yuzuru. When he finally looked up at them, Fuyumi said, “Ageha went to take the school tour with Haruhi and the twins. They’ll meet up with us at the fountain in the courtyard.”

“What did Yuzuru want?” Tachibana asked.

“He wanted to know if that was Tamaki sitting next to me. He was really upset when I told him Tamaki did not show up at the apartment last fall. I got the distinct impression that he had no idea what Shizue did.”

“Where’s Rene? Did Yuzuru take him away?” Seiji demanded.

Kyoya chuckled. “No, Yuzuru never got close to him. You might say the legal team took Rene into protective custody.”

“So that explains where they all went,” Ryoji commented.

“So, where are the others?” Kyoya asked.

Fuyumi giggled and clapped her hands like a little kid. “Takashi, Chiharu, and Reiko are taking Kosaku and Hibiki to the hospital. Just before the ceremony ended, Hibiki’s water broke.”

“Well, that’s quite a development. Why didn’t Mitsukuni go with them since Reiko did?”

“There wasn’t enough room in the car. Hibiki was really scared so she wanted both Chiharu and Reiko to go with her, especially with Reiko’s first aid training,” Seiji clarified.

“So where are the others?”

“Atsuhiro took Mitsukuni, Kairi, Momo, and Shima back to Hinansho. Mitsukuni figured he could be most helpful by getting the Itos’ hospital bag to security so they could take it to the hospital. Kairi and Shima wanted to check on dinner and preparations for the graduation party tonight,” Tachibana answered. “They took the smaller vehicle so I can drive everyone else home whenever we’re all ready.”

“Then let’s go wait for the graduates by the fountain,” Fuyumi said, heading off in that direction.

<OHSHC>

Yuzuru stormed through the front doors of the first Suoh mansion and headed straight for his mother’s office. He ignored her secretary when she shouted that Shizue was in a meeting and slammed the door open. “What did you do?!?!” he demanded loudly.

Shizue looked at him coldly. “I am in a meeting.”

“I don’t care. I want answers.”

Sighing, she growled, “Very well. Akito, if you will excuse us?” Then she waved her heir out of the office without waiting for a reply. 

“What did you do with Tamaki?” Yuzuru planted his fists on Shizue’s desk as he glared down at her.

She remained seated and glared at him. “Whatever are you talking about? He’s at University, rooming with Kyoya…”

“Lies!” Yuzuru shouted, interrupting her. “I just spoke to Kyoya. Tamaki never arrived at the apartment. Kyoya had to get a different roommate. So, I’ll ask you again. What. Did. You. Do. With. Tamaki?”

“Fine.” She waved a hand dismissively. “He wanted to see his mother, so I had my chauffeur take him to the airport.”

“That does not explain why he didn’t contact Kyoya…or me. I had just assumed he broke his phone again when I got the no-longer-in-service message.”

“Why don’t you call your mistress…his mother, and ask her?” Shizue suggested disinterestedly.

“Because she’s dead,” he bit out. “I received a call from a Paris lawyer last fall who informed me that Anne-Sophie died in February of last year, about the same time the Hitachiins were killed in London. She was looking for Tamaki to give him a legacy from his mother.”

“I don’t know what you…”

The doors banged open and two Tokyo police detectives strode in. “What do you want?” Shizue demanded.

“On behalf of the estate of the late Anne-Sophie de Grantaine, we are here to inquire about the suspicious disappearance of Tamaki Suoh,” stated the older-looking of the two.

Shizue stood up and folded her arms across her chest. “What do you mean ‘suspicious disappearance’? He was taken to the Tokyo airport last fall to fly to Paris to see his mother.”

“Be that as it may, some very suspicious activity surrounding the whereabouts of Tamaki Suoh has come to light. The airport has no record of him flying to Paris or even being at the airport last fall.”

The younger detective tapped the older man’s shoulder and handed him a note. The older turned, looked over the note, and nodded. “A police inspector from Paris with connections to our supervisor contacted our office in hopes of locating Tamaki Suoh. The inspector’s sister is the lawyer for the de Grantaine estate, trying to locate Tamaki Suoh to deliver a legacy. She found him in the educational database in August, but when she checked again in November, he was no longer listed—in fact, there was no trace of him. That sounds very suspicious to me.”

“So what, there was a computer glitch,” Shizue dismissed.

“Then produce Tamaki Suoh and we can clear all this up,” the older detective stated flatly.

“I haven’t laid eyes on him in almost a year.” Shizue sat down in a huff.

The two detectives looked at Yuzuru.

Yuzuru shrugged. “I haven’t seen Tamaki since Sunday brunch the day before he was moving into his University apartment with Kyoya Otori last August. I spoke with Kyoya today at the graduation ceremony at Ouran. I am the headmaster there and three of his friends were graduating. He told me Tamaki never showed up and he had to find a new roommate.”

“Here,” Shizue flipped a piece of paper toward the detectives. “This is the name of my chauffeur that drove him to the airport and the security guard stationed at the VIP lounge where Tamaki was waiting for the plane to board. I leave the rest to you.”

“Thank you for your cooperation. Please remain available for further questions,” the older detective said tartly. “We will see ourselves out.”

<OHSHC>

Rene was waiting inside the front door of Hinansho when the rest of the graduation party arrived from Ouran. He grabbed Kyoya and Haruhi as soon as they stepped through the door.

“Did Yuzuru find out about me? Are they coming to take me away?” He was practically hyperventilating in his anxiety.

Haruhi pulled him into her arms and whispered soft shushing noises. Kyoya wrapped his arms around both of them. “Don’t worry. When he asked about Tamaki, I said he didn’t show up last fall. My roommate for the year was Hikaru and Kaoru’s brother, Rene. I suggested that Tamaki might have heard about being replaced as the Suoh heir. Then he excused himself, saying he had to speak to his mother.”

“Breathe,” Haruhi whispered, rubbing Rene’s back. “Just breathe. They can’t touch you. You are Rene Hinan now. It’s legal and binding.”

Rene buried his face in Haruhi’s neck and tried to slow his breathing. He took several deep breaths, and said quietly, “Could I just have a minute? To collect myself?”

Kyoya kissed Haruhi’s temple and ruffled Rene’s hair. “I’ll head into the dining room with the others and leave okaa-san here to take care of you. How’s that?”

Peaking over Haruhi’s shoulder, Rene smiled softly. “Thanks, otou-san.”

A few minutes later, Haruhi and Rene joined the others in the dining room. Rene went to congratulate the twins and Haruhi was surrounded by the legal group.

Rene threw his arms around Hikaru and Kaoru’s shoulders and declared, “Look at you two, all grown up and graduated.”

“Thanks, Tono,” they replied as they rubbed against him like a pair of Siamese cats. “We really appreciate you being there for us. It was hard not having Mom and Dad here, but we’re so glad our new family showed up in numbers.”

“I’m glad we could be there for you,” Rene said before he released them.

Kyoya walked up to the trio. “Feeling better, Rene?”

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a glance. “What was wrong with Rene?”

Rene took a deep breath. “I didn’t think about the fact that Yuzuru would be there and would recognize me.” He started to draw in upon himself.

“Hey, none of that,” Hikaru said, poking Rene in the ribs.

Kaoru continued, “Obviously he didn’t get you, so what’s the problem?”

Rene’s head popped up. “You’re right. Kyoya made arrangements for the legal group to bring me back to Hinansho.” He turned and looked at Kyoya. “Otou-san, you took care of me.”

Kyoya shook his head and smiled. “Of course. We’re family. We take care of each other.”

Meanwhile, Haruhi was surrounded by Ryoji and the legal group. Ryoji wrapped her in a tight hug and said, “Kotoko would be so proud of you. I know I’m proud of you.”

“Dad,” Haruhi whispered airily. “Can I breathe, please?”

“Sorry, I just got so excited.” Ryoji blushed, loosening his grip.

Ryo chuckled. “You are amazing, Haruhi. Top of your class while working an internship and taking online college courses.”

Judge Hatori agreed. “You will be a force to be reckoned with in the not-so-distant future, if what you’ve accomplished in the past year and a half is any indication.”

“Hear, hear,” Judge Ryusaki agreed. Mei, Misaki, and Sae added their affirmations.

“Come on, everyone,” Kairi called. “I set things up buffet-style so we can mingle around and talk while still eating dinner. Remember, we still have a graduation party later tonight that we need to get ready for.”

Mitsukuni was watching the door as he put a few things on his plate. “I hope Reiko, Takashi, and Chiharu get here soon. I’d hate for them to miss the party.”

Rene stepped up to get some food as well. “Where are they? I was swept away by the legal team so fast I didn’t even notice they were missing until you said something.”

“Hibiki went into labor, so they took her and Kosaku to the hospital.” Feeling too unsettled to sit down at a table to eat, Mitsukuni stood next to one of the taller tables. Rene joined him and they ate in silence.

Fifteen minutes later, the missing trio appeared in the doorway. Reiko was smiling sweetly as she immediately walked up to Mitsukuni and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss before he whispered, “I missed you.”

“Come on. It hasn’t been that long.” Reiko nuzzled his ear and giggled, making him smile softly.

Takashi and Chiharu entered the room much more slowly. Takashi was carrying her and his face was buried in her neck. She was murmuring soft reassurances to him.

Chiharu had a perplexed expression on her face as she looked around the room. Then her eyes lighted on Fuyumi and Seiji sitting at a table in the back corner, eating dinner and keeping an eye on their children who were at another table with Ageha, Hikaru, and Kaoru.

Pointing to the table in the back, Chiharu gently coaxed Takashi to head in that direction. He settled into a chair, keeping her on his lap and trying to curl even further into her embrace.

Fuyumi smiled softly at the couple. Addressing Chiharu, she asked, “How did things go at the hospital?”

“Kosaku, Hibiki, and their new son, Ren, are fine.”

“She had the baby that quickly?”

“Ren was more than ready. It was all Reiko and I could do to get him to wait until we reached the hospital. He seemed determined to be born in the back seat of Takashi’s car,” Chiharu said, a hint of humor in her voice.

Takashi shuddered and Chiharu kissed the top of his head and whispered, “It’s okay. Really it is.”

“Is there a problem?” Seiji asked, pointing his chin at Takashi.

Rubbing soothing circles on Takashi’s back, Chiharu said, “As I’m sure you know, since you have two children, labor is painful. Takashi is very tenderhearted and seeing Hibiki in pain was very hard on him. It was also hard to see how it affected Kosaku. He was practically in tears and looked so lost, not knowing how to help Hibiki.”

Fuyumi smiled nostalgically. “Oh yes. I remember the pain—excruciating and seemingly never ending. But it paled in comparison to the joy of holding the baby after its birth. Looking at the perfect little person that you’d been nurturing for nine months, the pain is more than worth it.”

Seiji patted Takashi on the shoulder. “There is nothing worse than seeing the woman you love in pain and all you can do is hold her hand and be there for her. I’m sure every fiber of Kosaku’s being wanted to take the pain away from her and carry it himself, but it doesn’t work that way.” 

Fuyumi leaned over and kissed Seiji’s cheek. “I appreciate that you were there during the births of both our children.”

Seiji looked fondly at Fuyumi. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

Chiharu slipped her finger under Takashi’s chin to coax him to look at her. “See, Kosaku and Hibiki will be fine. Remember their smiles when they held little Ren and looked into each other’s eyes?”

Takashi nodded and drew a deep breath. “Thanks. Nothing in health class or first aid training can prepare you for the heart-rending reality of a woman in labor.”

Chuckling, Seiji added, “And the same woman will not act the same each time she’s in labor. Every birth is unique.”

Haruhi approached the table with two plates of food. “I figured you would be hungry after all the excitement today,” she said, setting one in front of Takashi and the other in front of an empty chair next to him.

Reluctantly, he uncurled from Chiharu and allowed her to move to the chair to eat some dinner. She repositioned her chair so she could rest her left hand on Takashi’s thigh. Then she started eating.

After a few minutes, Fuyumi couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer. “How did things go? Were there any problems during the drive?”

Chiharu looked at Takashi and smiled. “Everything was fine on the drive. Takashi calmly prompted Kosaku to call the security office to bring the hospital bag so we didn’t have to stop and pick it up. I called the hospital to let them know we were on the way with a woman in active labor. Reiko focused on keeping Hibiki calm and monitoring the contractions.”

Tilting her head toward Takashi, Fuyumi asked, “Was he okay to drive, as upset as he was?”

Laughing softly and leaning into his side, Chiharu replied, “It was probably his kendo training that kept him focused on the important details in the moment. He was an absolute rock--until we got here and parked in the garage. Once the crisis was past, then it all sort of caught up with him.” She reached up and stroked her fingers along his jawline, assuring him that she was proud of him.

He turned to smile at her, then took her hand and pressed a kiss into her palm.

Mitsukuni and Reiko approached the table with their arms around each other. Mitsukuni gave Takashi an enthusiastic thumbs-up and he responded with a tentative lopsided smile.

Shima stood up and announced, “Remember, you have just two hours from now to get ready for the graduation party tonight.”

<OHSHC>

“I’m glad we decided on a casual graduation party, rather than an elaborate formal,” Haruhi said off-handedly as she sipped a glass of punch.

Ageha preened. “It was my idea. Hikaru got to design the costumes for Halloween and Kaoru did the formal wear for Christmas. It was only fair that casual wear got its turn.”

Hikaru and Kaoru hoisted their sister up between them. “She did a wonderful job on the dress designs with Kaoru,” Hikaru praised.

Ageha protested, “But they wouldn’t have turned out half as well if it weren’t for Hikaru’s water-marbled silks.”

“His color choices were just gorgeous,” Kaoru agreed.

“And that concludes this meeting of the Hitachiin design team mutual admiration society,” Kyoya teased.

Reiko smiled, holding her skirt out to admire the flowing colors. “You have to admit they did a wonderful job. Who would have thought the purples and black I requested for my dress would turn out so well. I know Mitsukuni was a little worried that it would look dark and depressing.” She dropped her hold on the skirt and twirled lightly from side to side. “And it almost feels like floating when I move.”

“I know what you mean,” Chiharu added. “I feel like an autumn leaf dancing on the wind.”

“The russet and gold pattern looks very good on you,” Rene stated. “Don’t you think so, Takashi?”

Takashi could only nod in response as he admired the stunning beauty of his significant other.

“Okay, put me down,” Ageha ordered. “I want to go hang out with Hibiki. See you all later.”

Haruhi turned to the twins. “Will Ageha be coming on the graduation trip with us?”

Kaoru shook his head. “Our grief counselor doesn’t think she’s quite ready to go back to London yet.”

Hikaru added, “It’s not just that she’s younger. She was **_there_** when it happened. She lived through the chaos. Ageha probably isn’t ready to deal with all those memories just yet.”

“Does the counselor have any reservations about the two of you going to London?” Kyoya asked.

“She actually encouraged us to make this trip,” Hikaru said with a shrug.

Kaoru continued, “It could provide the closure we need.” He wrapped his arms around his twin and they laid their foreheads together.

Rene motioned the others forward and they wrapped the twins in a group hug, until Hikaru pulled back and announced, “Okay. Thank you. That’s enough for now.”

Ryoji walked up to the group and said, “You three graduates should be over there for the receiving line. People have been looking for you so they can express their congratulations.”

“Yes, Dad.” Haruhi laughed as she grabbed the twins’ hands and headed to the entrance doors where a small crowd of people was waiting for them.

Most of those waiting were Hinansho staff. They wanted a chance to wish the trio their best before performing their duties.

Satoshi and Yasuchika entered the ballroom and headed straight to Haruhi. Satoshi picked her up and spun her around, shouting, “Haruhi-sempai.”

Yasuchika growled, “Put her down and act your age.”

“You’re no fun,” Satoshi complained and then he smirked when Haruhi pulled Yasuchika into a hug.

“Do your parents know you’re here?” Haruhi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes…” Satoshi replied with a slightly guilty grin on his face.

Yasuchika interrupted. “Before our parents left on a business trip, they granted permission for us to attend your graduation party.”

Haruhi laughed. “You didn’t provide any details, like it being a joint graduation party with Hikaru and Kaoru or that it was being held at Hinansho, did you?”

The cousins exchanged a glance. Satoshi shrugged and said nonchalantly, “Little details like that didn’t seem important.”

“Little details, he says.” Haruhi shook her head. “You didn’t want to give them a hint of a reason to say ‘no’ to your request.”

She ruffled Satoshi’s hair and he scowled at her. “I’ll bet you two would like to see your brothers, wouldn’t you?”

“They’re here?” Satoshi’s expression lit up in interest.

Pointing to the far corner of the ballroom, Haruhi replied, “They are right over there. I bet they will be thrilled to see you.”

“Thanks, Haruhi-sempai,” the cousins chorused as they hurried off in the direction of their brothers.

“Well, I see how we rate,” Hikaru huffed teasingly.

“I’m sure they’ll get back around to you before the night is over,” Haruhi insisted playfully. “Remember, they haven’t seen or talked to their brothers in a year. Yasuchika is going to be shocked at how much Mitsukuni has grown. I think Mitsukuni may even be the taller of the two now.”

More well-wishers arrived from town, the clinic, and the hospital. Then Haruhi got a surprise. “Ritsu, I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.” She pulled him into a hug and his ears turned as red as his hair.

Tetsuya smirked at the young yakuza heir as he accepted his own hug from Haruhi. “I thought you’d be at your own graduation party.”

“Hey, BossaNova,” the twins chorused as they stepped up on either side of him and draped their arms over his shoulders. “Just couldn’t stay away, hmmm?”

Laughing, Tetsuya explained, “There’s been some…rumblings of trouble among the yakuza syndicates because several Sendo lieutenants were arrested for blackmail and extortion. With all the finger-pointing and accusations, Ritsu’s father thought it best to do something unpredictable for his graduation celebration.”

Worming away from the twins, Ritsu said, “Word on the street is that the Sendo think the other syndicates are trying to take their territory. Since there was no party for me tonight, I asked Pops permission to attend the graduation party of my friends at Hinansho.”

Haruhi smiled. “You’re welcome here. If you want to say ‘hi’ to the others, they’re over there.” She gestured in the same direction she had sent Yasuchika and Satoshi earlier.

“You go ahead, Ritsu. I want to talk to Haruhi for a moment,” Tetsuya said. After the yakuza heir headed for the other Hosts, he continued, “My father refuses to admit that the problems are of his own making. That’s why I left. That’s why so many people formerly living in the Sendo territory have left. I’m glad Ritsu took me in. I hope the others have found better places as well.”

“I’m sure they have,” Haruhi assured Tetsuya. “ _I know for a fact some of them have—here at Hinansho. Good to know that the Sendo Syndicate doesn’t suspect that the Hinan family was the real culprit behind the arrests._ _I’ll pass along the information about the yakuza unrest to Nishi Goro so he can keep an eye on the situation.”_

Haruhi and the twins spent the next two hours receiving congratulations and talking about their future plans. Haruhi was delighted that her father had made arrangements for Atsuhiro to bring some of their old neighbors from the apartment complex. Misuzu, Mei, and Arai made an appearance as well.

Hikaru and Kaoru were incredibly happy that all of the household staff from the Hitachiin estate as well as the personnel from Hitachiin Fashions had made time to come congratulate them on their graduation.

By the time the party ended, everyone was exhausted. The Host Club, with Reiko and Chiharu, decided to spend the night together in Haruhi’s old apartment.

“I’m really glad we can all spend the night here together in a cuddle pile before we head off on our trip tomorrow,” Hikaru admitted, dragging pillows and blankets out of the closet.

Kaoru added, “I know I have been dealing with some overwhelming feelings of dread as the trip has approached.”

“There is that hovering cloud of uncertainty surrounding our objectives for this trip. What will we find in London? Is my mom still alive in Paris?” Rene said dejectedly as he wrapped himself in a blanket and leaned against Kyoya and Haruhi’s knees.

Haruhi added, “I’m glad Reiko and Chiharu are joining us tonight. I’m sure they’ve wondered in the past about our cuddle piles with me being the only female.”

“I’ll admit I have been interested in seeing how this ‘cuddle pile’ concept works,” Reiko said arranging pillows and blankets next to Mitsukuni.

“That’s enough talking,” Haruhi’s dad announced as he came in to check on them. “You have a busy day tomorrow so get some rest.”

Before turning off the light for them, Ryoji said loudly, “Remember, you need to get your packing done tomorrow afternoon. Atsuhiro will be driving you to the airport at six because your plane is scheduled to leave at seven.”

There were several mumbled replies of “Thanks Dad,” “Okay,” and “Whatever, I’m sleeping here” as everyone drifted off to sleep.


	20. Facing the Past - London Edition, Part 1

Hikaru and Kaoru knocked on Ryoji’s door and waited impatiently for someone to answer. “She knows we’re leaving in half an hour, right?” Hikaru demanded.

“Of course she knows,” Kaoru soothed. “She’s probably just checking to be sure she didn’t forget anything, like her toothbrush.”

Hikaru knocked again, louder this time. Haruhi wrenched the door open with a scowl on her face and a pair of underwear clenched in the fist propped on her hip. She yelled over her shoulder, “Dad, stay out of my suitcase. I’ve had to repack it three times already.”

Kaoru snickered and said, “Are you looking for our opinion of your choice of undergarments?” pointing to her fist.

She looked from him to her hand and rolled her eyes as she stuffed the underwear into her pocket. “Maybe you two can run interference for me. I’m trying to pack minimally like you asked, but Dad keeps pulling out everything and replacing it with every dress I own.”

“Even the Christmas sheath...?”

“Yes, EVERY dress, while at the same time removing everything else, including my underwear, pajamas, and the ‘Classic Blunders’ t-shirt.”

Hikaru grinned. “Let me handle Ryoji. Kaoru, you help Haruhi pack the bare necessities.”

The three walked into Haruhi’s room to find Ryoji trying to latch the suitcase, to no avail. “Haruhi, come sit on the suitcase so I can latch it for you.”

“No, Dad. I don’t need that much stuff,” Haruhi huffed.

“But you’re going to be gone for weeks. You’re going to need…”

“Stop, Dad. I’m going to let Hikaru explain it to you since you don’t seem to be listening to me.” Haruhi sighed, shaking her head.

“But…but…” Ryoji sputtered.

Hikaru took his elbow. “Let’s head to the kitchen for a cup of tea and I’ll explain the plan.”

After they left the bedroom, Haruhi wrenched the suitcase open and started pulling out all the dresses. She handed them to Kaoru. He quickly and efficiently hung them back in her closet.

“Wait, I think you should pack the one from the graduation party. It will be perfect if we go out to dinner,” Kaoru suggested, handing the dress back to her.

“Okay, I will agree to that. Hand me the shoes that go with it.” She folded it carefully and placed it in the suitcase with a small selection of underwear, bras, and socks. “I want to pack two pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, a swimsuit, a pair of pajamas, and three t-shirts, including the ‘Classic Blunders’. Will that be enough until you guys take me shopping?”

“Sounds perfect. Do you want to pack an extra duffle for purchases or buy one while we’re shopping?” Kaoru asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest while watching her pack and latch the suitcase.

Haruhi contemplated the question for a minute before she responded, “I’d like to buy a new suitcase or two for heading off to University—maybe even a small footlocker-type trunk.”

“Then our work here is done.” Kaoru tried to grab the suitcase to carry it out but Haruhi refused to relinquish it.

Ryoji sat on the sofa with his arms crossed and a pout on his face. He looked up when Haruhi and Kaoru came out of the bedroom. “It’s so mean that you won’t let me take you shopping, but you’ll go with these two.”

Haruhi looked at her father and concentrated on not rolling her eyes. “Like I explained to you, this is my graduation gift for the twins.”

“Their shopping for you is your gift to them?”

Hikaru interjected, “See, that’s just what I told you.”

“Look, Dad, you know how much I hate shopping but the twins really want to show me some of the boutiques they like in London and Paris, so I agreed to it as my graduation present to them. I told you that I would let you take me shopping the week before I start University. Okay?” Haruhi said placatingly.

“I suppose,” Ryoji muttered.

Putting down her suitcase, Haruhi walked over to the sofa and pulled Ryoji to his feet. “Come on, Dad. Give me a hug before we head down to the car. I’m sure Atsuhiro is probably already out front waiting for us.”

“You know I’m going to miss you, Baby Girl, right?” he whispered, pulling her into a fierce bear hug. “I can’t believe you’re going to be traveling out of the country without me.”

Squeezing back just as fiercely, she said, “I know. And I’m going to miss you too. Be sure to take care of yourself.”

Hikaru’s phone *dinged* and he looked at the text message. “Everyone is waiting for us. We need to get going.”

Releasing Haruhi, Ryoji snatched her suitcase and refused to relinquish it. “I want to walk down with you and wave as you drive away.”

“Then let’s go,” she said, grabbing his free hand and heading for the door, the twins following in their wake.

By the time they got to the vehicle, Atsuhiro had stowed everyone else’s luggage. Ryoji reluctantly allowed Atsuhiro to take Haruhi’s bag.

It hit Ryoji full force that Haruhi was about to leave to travel internationally. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked. “They are foreign countries with different languages and customs.”

“Dad, we talked about this. Reiko spent a year in England and she has been helping all of us with our English. Rene grew up in Paris and he has been helping us with our French. We’ll be staying at Kyoya’s properties in both cities and they are fully staffed with native speakers if we need any help. We’ll be fine.” 

Haruhi contemplated whether she could survive another of her father’s suffocating hugs before she wrapped her arms around him and whispered, “I’ll be fine, Dad. You and Mom prepared me as best you could. Trust me, okay?”

Ryoji wanted to cling to her, but he knew she was right. He had to trust her. Sighing, he responded, “You take care. It will be awfully lonely without you. Maybe I’ll take a trip to Karuizawa and visit Misuzu while you’re gone.”

“That’s a great idea,” Haruhi said as she climbed into the vehicle where all the others were waiting for her.

As the vehicle pulled away from Hinansho, Kyoya sighed, “It must be nice having a parent who loves you and worries about you, rather than having impossible expectations and displaying constant disappointment.” He moved closer to Haruhi and took her hand.

“Yes, it is,” she replied as she squeezed his hand and looked over at the twins. “I’m sure you two miss your parents a lot right now because they loved and worried about you.”

Hikaru and Kaoru nodded wistfully as they leaned together for mutual comfort.

Rene piped up, “We may not be your parents, but we are your brothers and we care about you. Don’t we, guys?”

Takashi nodded, lost in thought.

Mitsukuni said, “That’s right. But I have to admit, I miss my parents at times. I wish I knew why they—or at least Father--had such an attitude last year.”

Reiko rubbed his back and kissed his cheek. “Maybe someday we’ll find out. But for now, let’s enjoy the trip, even though the underlying purpose is rather somber.” She reached over and patted Kaoru’s knee and then Hikaru’s.

Chiharu clapped her hands lightly. “Okay, enough of this morose talk. We need a different subject. I want to know more about how you started the cuddle pile and why didn’t Haruhi’s father object to her sleeping with six extremely handsome men?”

Haruhi laughed. “My father doesn’t object because he got to know the Host Club before we ever slept together for the first time.”

“Ooo, that sounds so naughty,” Hikaru teased. Then he sobered. “I remember the first time all too well.” He laid his head on Kaoru’s shoulder, unable to continue.

Wrapping his arm around his brother, Kaoru picked up the conversation thread. “The first time was right after Kyoya called everyone to gather at the Hitachiin mansion around midnight just over a year ago. That was the night he delivered the news about the London bombing and our parents.”

Chiharu paled at the implication and reached for Takashi’s hand. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “When Mitsukuni collapsed and was admitted to the hospital, we slept together in his room with the doctor’s approval. She mentioned that humans and wolves have similar social structures and it was obvious to her that we had established our pack and needed to come together to protect a vulnerable member.”

“Well, my attempt at a happier topic seems to have fallen flat,” Chiharu commented. “Does anyone else have any conversation ideas?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Reiko said. “You guys don’t mind if we travel out of London for a few days while we’re in England, do you?”

The other occupants exchanged glances and Haruhi said, “I think that would be fun. Do you have a particular reason?”

Reiko smiled. “I received a special import/export license to bring medicinal plant cuttings and seeds to Japan from England. I want to visit a few of the outlying villages where I investigated the plants while I was studying in England so I can purchase the seeds and cuttings. Then I can arrange to have them shipped to Japan immediately so they can be quarantined while we enjoy the remainder of our trip.”

“I like that idea,” Kyoya replied. “The construction of the greenhouse for the medicinal plants should be complete just before we return. Having the plants already through quarantine will save time and get the planting done sooner.”

Haruhi poked Kyoya in the ribs. “Always thinking about business,” she teased.

“Just like you’re always thinking about learning.” He tugged at the strap of her satchel. “You don’t even have any online courses this summer.”

The others laughed at the banter and Rene chortled, “That’s more like it. This is a family vacation and we need more fun.”

They were all startled when Atsuhiro announced, “We’re here.”

“Already?” Mitsukuni asked, looking around.

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” the twins chorused as everyone climbed out of the vehicle. Atsuhiro opened the cargo area and started pulling out luggage.

Rene glanced around and stiffened. Kyoya noticed immediately. “What’s wrong? Do you see Shizue? Or Yuzuru?”

“No,” he stammered. “But this is the same place the chauffeur parked when he brought me here last year.”

Haruhi and Kyoya moved to either side of Rene and wrapped their arms around him. “There’s nothing to worry about,” Haruhi soothed. “This time you’re here because you want to be, not because someone is trying to get rid of you.”

Rene’s breathing started to accelerate. “Do we have to go to the VIP lounge?”

Kyoya squeezed his shoulder. “No, we are heading straight to our chartered flight. It’s in a completely different area of the airport.”

Taking a deep breath, Rene relaxed slightly. “Okay, I think I can handle this. Which charter company are we using?”

Smirking, Kyoya answered, “Mine.”

Rene whipped his head around. “You own a charter company?”

“I’ve owned it for nearly seven years. I started with one plane and now there is a fleet of fifteen.”

Haruhi looked at him in confusion. “That means you were…twelve?”

“Yes, it was just after my twelfth birthday. I was tired of everyone telling me I couldn’t do things because I wasn’t old enough. So I bought a plane just to prove that I could. Since I had no interest in traveling alone at that time, I decided to start a charter company.” Kyoya laughed at the expressions of disbelief on the faces around him.

“No wonder the idea of a Host Club didn’t faze him when Rene suggested it,” Takashi commented. “It was just another challenging business opportunity.”

Rene turned to Atsuhiro, who had just finished unloading all the luggage. “Thanks for saving me last year.”

Atsuhiro grinned. “I’m glad I had the contacts needed and everything worked out.” He looked around at the group. “You guys have fun and stay safe. It will take more than a quick drive for me to help if you get yourselves into trouble in London or Paris.”

“Thanks for all your hard work,” Haruhi said as she picked up her suitcase. “Don’t work too hard while we’re gone.”

Kyoya led the way to the charter terminal where the plane was waiting for them. “Depending on the upper air currents, it will be a twelve- to thirteen-hour flight. With the time difference, we will arrive at Heathrow Airport in London between eleven o’clock and midnight, so don’t worry if you can’t sleep on the plane.”

The staff in the charter terminal recognized Kyoya and waved him to the gate where the plane was waiting for them.

Once their luggage was stored and they were belted into their seats, Chiharu asked, “So, Hikaru and Kaoru, do you guys model anymore?”

“I want to,” Kaoru responded. “At first it was just too hard to think about. Our last shoot was the Christmas Show just before the bombing. Then we got busy with our new brothers.”

Hikaru interrupted. “You know what might be fun? If you girls all brought the dresses from the graduation party, we could do an impromptu test shoot in one of the villages Reiko wants to visit. It would draw WAY too much attention if we tried it in London.”

Haruhi looked skeptical. “I don’t know. Most of my photo shoot experience has been in cosplay. I doubt I’m good enough for an actual fashion shoot.”

“Nonsense. As Rene said at the Tojo Christmas Eve Party, you’re gorgeous,” Kyoya stated. “Though, on second thought, if pictures of you got out, I’d probably have to start beating your admirers off with a stick.”

Kaoru rubbed his hands together gleefully. “That sounds like a challenge. I accept.”

“What’s the challenge?” Hikaru asked for clarification. “Taking gorgeous pictures of Haruhi or being one of her admirers that Kyoya beats off with a stick?”

Tapping his chin lightly with his index finger, Kaoru purred, “Decisions, decisions.”

Everyone laughed at the teasing banter that lightened the mood.

“Well, I brought my dress and I’d love to be a model for your test shoot,” Chiharu said.

“Me, too,” Reiko agreed.

“Hey, Haruhi,” Hikaru called, “why don’t you come up with a few storylines we could use for the photo shoots? Like you did for that first photo shoot at Hinansho. You remember, the fairy tale with a twist.”

Haruhi and Kyoya both blushed bright red, causing Reiko and Chiharu to look back and forth between them. 

Chiharu smiled devilishly. “There’s a story behind that blush, isn’t there?”

“Let me!” Rene waved his hands dramatically. “I want to tell the tale of dashing Prince Haruhi and the rescue of Princess Kyoya. I was the evil wizard after all.”

<OHSHC>

The air currents were favorable and they landed at Heathrow just before eleven o’clock at night, London time. As they made their way to Customs, Hikaru and Kaoru were recognized by some girls returning from a trip to New York.

“It has to be them,” one girl whispered to her friends. “Here, I have pictures from their last shoot on my phone.” She pulled up the pictures and her friends passed the phone around.

One of the girls squealed, “It is them. We have to let the fan club know.”

“Already tweeting it,” another said, typing maniacally on her phone.

“I got a picture of them and posted it to my social media app. That should cover most of the platforms.”

The six girls moved to a spot where they had full view of the door to Customs as well as the airport entrance/exit. They stood in a circle, pretending to be waiting for their transportation. “How long do you think it will take the others to get here? Will they make it before the Hitachiins leave?” one of the girls whispered.

“Joanne just texted that she should be here in less than five minutes. She was coming to meet our plane but a lorry lost its load on Bath Road and they just finished cleaning it up.”

“How long will it take to get through Customs?”

“At this time of night, usually half an hour. But they are VIPs so it may not take as long.”

“Or it could take longer if they brought a new line with them.”

By the time the Host Club was finished in Customs a half hour later, there were at least two dozen screaming fangirls chanting Hikaru and Kaoru’s names. As soon as the twins stepped into view, the girls stampeded in their direction.

Takashi and Mitsukuni immediately pushed Hikaru and Kaoru behind them and Rene joined the cousins to create a human barrier to protect their brothers. “Was not expecting this,” Takashi grunted as one of the girls aggressively tried to reach past them to grab the twins.

Kyoya was already on the phone to have their transport brought around. “How long will it take to bring additional security, at least a dozen? It will probably take that many to create a corridor to get us out through the mob of crazed teenage girls.”

“These girls are worse than the MOE crowd at the Host Club,” Haruhi shouted to Reiko and Chiharu over the din. The three of them moved to surround the twins to add another layer of protection.

“At least none of the guests at the Host Club acted like rabid attack dogs,” Chiharu muttered, watching the condescending looks on the fangirls’ faces.

“Hikaru, are those your models or your girlfriends?” one of the fans shouted derisively. “I’d be better for you than any of them.” She made a lunge toward him but Mitsukuni intercepted her.

“Please keep your distance,” he stated, pushing her back toward the unruly throng.

“But he’s my soulmate,” she whined.

“Kaoru, I want to have your baby,” screamed another girl. “I love you.”

Hikaru and Kaoru cringed at the aggressive and possessive nature of these fangirls. “Now I know why Mom and Dad never let us out alone,” Hikaru muttered.

Kaoru clung to his brother. “They’re scarier than BossaNova ever looked.”

Takashi was about to pick up the twins and make a run for the exit when Kyoya’s security walked through the door. They split into two columns and started to clear a corridor to Kyoya and his friends.

“Sorry for the delay, sir,” the head security guard said to Kyoya. “I brought a large security detail, anticipating the possibility of fangirls. However, the crowd is more numerous than I anticipated. In addition to the two dozen in here, there are at least another three dozen outside surrounding the vehicle. We’ll have to go with Plan B. We will use a maintenance corridor near the Customs office to take you out through the cargo area. I arranged for three additional vehicles--one will be used as your transport, the other two, in addition to the one out front, will be used as decoys.”

Kyoya bowed slightly. “Thank you for your thoroughness. We are quite tired and would like to get to my house as soon as possible.”

“Of course. If you would please follow me.”

The security force surrounded the fangirls and started herding them towards the exit. Meanwhile, Kyoya’s head of security led Kyoya and his friends to a door marked ‘Employees Only’ and ushered them inside. “Your transport is just down this corridor.”

A moment later, they stepped out into the night air and saw three identical vehicles. The head of security pointed to the middle one. “That will be your transport. Your luggage has already been loaded. Please climb in and buckle up.”

After everyone was settled, he climbed into the driver’s seat. “I have instructed the security detail to pretend to load the vehicle out front that the fangirls are watching. In three minutes, it will leave, headed for the Corinthia London.”

Kyoya nodded in approval. “That would be a logical choice for VIPs.”

“The second vehicle will leave in five minutes. Its destination will be The Shangri-La Hotel, at the Shard. We will leave in seven minutes, headed to your house, sir. In ten minutes, the final vehicle will leave for The Kimpton Fitzroy London.”

“Good choices for hotel destinations. Any of those would be exactly where the Hitachiins would be staying. Thank you for your preparations.” Kyoya looked down at Haruhi and wrapped his arm snuggly around her waist. Her head was resting on his shoulder and she was breathing softly in sleep. “Please get us to the house as soon and as safely as possible. We’ve all been up for nearly twenty-four hours and we’re exhausted.”

“Of course, sir. Leave it to me.” Checking his watch, the head of security saw that it was time for their transport to leave according to their schedule. “We should be there in ten to fifteen minutes. I have already called ahead to have the housekeeper turn down the beds and prepare for your arrival.”

“Thanks. Please wake us up when we get there.” Kyoya’s voice tapered off as he succumbed to exhaustion as well.

<OHSHC>

Haruhi yawned, then looked around with an embarrassed smile. “Sorry. It was a long day yesterday. Did everyone sleep well last night?”

“It would have been better if we could all have slept together,” Hikaru stated. “Or if I could at least have slept with Kaoru.”

“I agree,” Kaoru muttered, yawning.

The head of security walked in and said, “Excuse me, sir, but I thought you would want to see this right away.” He handed Kyoya a tablet with a news report in progress.

**“…unknown reason these fangirls have suddenly mobbed the memorial at the Knightsbridge bombing site. Extra officers have been dispatched to determine the cause of the disturbance. Everyone is urged to avoid the area until further notice. Please…”**

Kyoya handed the tablet back and sighed. “I guess that changes our plans for today. There is no way we can go to the memorial today. It’s obvious that the fangirls anticipate that is why Hikaru and Kaoru are in London.”

“Good thing we already planned to head to the villages so Reiko could acquire the medicinal plants and arrange for their shipment to Japan first,” Haruhi reminded him.

Smiling softly at Haruhi, Kyoya replied, “That’s right. We discussed that on the plane. I guess I’m still tired.” Turning to the security head, he asked, “Is it possible to get permission to cordon off the memorial for an hour or two so the twins could visit it in peace?”

“I believe so. If anyone objects, I will remind them of the assistance you authorized during the emergency. Either way, It may take a day or two to get it scheduled.”

“Thank you. Please give us three days to complete our business with the plants. For now, could you arrange train tickets for our tour. Reiko will be able to give you the list of places we will be going.”

“Very good, sir.”

Reiko looked up from her breakfast. “Do you have a pen and paper? I didn’t bring any to breakfast with me.”

“Here you are, Miss Reiko.” He pulled a pen and pad a paper out of his breast pocket.

She tapped the top of the pen against her bottom lip for a moment before she started writing. “If you can arrange the tickets in this order, it would be the most efficient.” When she finished the list, she handed the pen and pad back to the security head.

Glancing through the list, he pulled up some information on the tablet. Then he responded, “I’ll have the tickets delivered by three o’clock this afternoon. The train will leave at four for your first destination.”

As the head of security left the dining room, Mitsukuni and Takashi entered. After gathering breakfast from the buffet on the sideboard, they settled at the table next to Reiko and Chiharu.

Before Takashi started eating, he turned to Kyoya. “I must apologize. I damaged one of your camellia plants while I was practicing my kendo forms.”

“I’m sure it will survive and grow back stronger,” Kyoya replied with a chuckle. “An English garden isn’t exactly designed for the open spaces needed for martial arts.”

“There should be some village greens that will have enough room in the towns we’ll be visiting the next three days,” Chiharu offered.

“That’s true,” Reiko affirmed.

Mitsukuni looked confused. “What’s up?”

“The fangirls from last night have overrun the memorial,” Kyoya responded. “We will be heading out on the plant-gathering trip while my local head of security arranges a private visit for us.”

“Okay. That makes sense.” Then he turned his attention back to his breakfast.

“When do we leave?” Takashi asked.

“We’ll be catching the four o’clock train so we’ll need to leave about three thirty to reach the station in time,” Reiko responded.

“If we’re going to follow through on the photoshoot idea, we’ll need to get some camera equipment,” Hikaru remarked.

“I’ll have a security detail take you to the best camera shop in town after breakfast,” Kyoya said.

Kaoru interjected, “I want to go too. Will there be a shop nearby where we can pick up a few props and supplies for the shoots?”

“Security should be able to take you where you need to go. Just keep our timeline in mind.”

Hikaru grinned, “Can we borrow your significant other?”

“Yeah. Especially since she was the one who was supposed to come up with the storylines. We’ll need her to know what we need to pick up,” Kaoru added.

“I’m not sure if I trust you two alone in a foreign city with my significant other,” Kyoya teased.

“Chiharu and I could accompany them,” Reiko suggested.

“If Chiharu is going, then so am I,” Takashi interjected. “Especially with the hostility displayed by those fangirls last night.”

“I’m going too,” Mitsukuni stated.

“Can I come too?” Rene asked as he walked into the dining room.

“Where have you been?” Kyoya inquired.

Rene shrugged. “I called the de Grantaine family to find out where my mother is. No one has heard from her since she was dismissed by the Tonnerre family. All they got was a message from her apologizing for disgracing the family and that she was staying with a friend in Paris.”

“Did they say who?” Haruhi asked.

“She refused to tell them, so they didn’t know. I guess I’ll just have to start at the bakery owned by Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng. They were the only ones I know of that Mother considered friends.” Rene sighed in resignation.

“That’s probably a conversation best had in person,” Kyoya commented. “We will go there first thing when we head to Paris next week.”

“Okay,” Rene agreed. “Anyway, can I come too?”

Kyoya shook his head and chuckled softly. “Do you have any idea what we were talking about before you came in?”

“Well, no. But can I come too?” Rene said eagerly.

Everyone laughed at his enthusiasm.

“They are going shopping for camera equipment and props for the photo shoot that was discussed on the plane,” Kyoya supplied. “Do you still want to go?”

“Yes! When do we leave?”

“As soon as everyone has finished breakfast and I can get a security detail here.”

Haruhi looked at Kyoya. “Aren’t you coming?”

“No. While you are shopping, I’m going to get things started for our private viewing of the memorial.” Then he added teasingly, “Have your purchases couriered to the house, just in case you have to run from hordes of rabid fangirls.”

“Will do,” Hikaru said glibly with a mock salute. “You make the fangirls sound like the zombie apocalypse.”

“If the ones at the airport are any indication,” Mitsukuni interjected, “they probably have the same goal, catch and devour you.”

“Except zombies are after brains and those fangirls sounded more like they wanted the twins’ bodies,” Takashi teased, chuckling.

Kaoru added, “If they were after brains, Hikaru and I would have nothing to worry about.”

“Hey, I resemble that remark,” Hikaru protested jokingly.

“Alright. That’s enough,” Kyoya said. “Remember we need to leave for the train station by three thirty. Just be back by three to pack.”

“Yes, otou-san,” Hikaru, Kaoru, and Rene chorused as they left their breakfast dishes on the sideboard.

Kyoya shook his head in exasperation. “I’ll have the security detail meet you at the front door. Behave yourselves. Remember, we are visitors in this country and, I for one, would like to be allowed back again.”

<OHSHC>

Several hours later, Kyoya was sitting in the living room working on his laptop when an unruly crowd of strangers burst through the door. “This is a private residence, not some common hall or pub.”

Three young women in heavy makeup, wearing torn fishnet stockings, mini-skirts with lace bustles, and too-large off-the-shoulder peasant tops looked around in interest. Two of them draped themselves onto the sofa.

The third one eyed him appraisingly. “You sure, guvner? Looks like a posh gentlemen’s club to me. Better than the one I work out of,” she drawled, winking at him. “I wouldn’t mind entertaining you, ducky.”

Kyoya stood up and glowered at the speaker. “I am quite certain. Now leave this instant before I am forced to call security.”

A dapper-looking man in the back of the crowd piped up, “You rang, sir?”

Taking a second look at the milling crowd, and especially the one who had addressed him as ‘guvner’ and ‘ducky,’ Kyoya pinched the bridge of his nose. “I take it you all had fun shopping?”

“Took you a minute to recognize us, didn’t it?” Haruhi teased, wrapping her arms around Kyoya’s neck and pulling his head down to kiss him.

The security guard explained, “I volunteer with a drama troupe and I knew of a shop that would be just the ticket. I figured the best way for the twins to walk around London unmolested was to disguise them. We went there first and didn’t have a lick of trouble afterwards.”

“Unless you count the misunderstanding when the police horse near the park started following Takashi,” Mitsukuni offered.

Chiharu giggled. “That would have happened even without the disguises. You know how much animals like Takashi.” She stood on her toes to pull Takashi’s head down so she could kiss his cheek.

The security guard interjected, “You all were distracted with the horse, so you may not have noticed the seedy blokes eyeing the young ladies. By the looks on their faces, I knew they were going to make indecent proposals. I was going to intercept them, but they ignored me. Then Takashi turned around. When he saw them, he frowned. At that one look, the blokes turned around and beat a hasty retreat. You should have seen the looks on their faces.”

“I thought they were pickpockets,” Takashi admitted. “If I had known they were going to disrespect the ladies, I would have had a word or two with them before letting them walk away.”

“You mean run away like a bunch of scared rabbits who just realized that the fox was watching them,” the security guard clarified, chuckling.

Chiharu, Reiko, and Haruhi whispered together for a moment before gathering around Takashi. Folding their hands under their chins and batting their eyelashes excessively, they chorused, “My Hero!”

Takashi just shook his head at their antics.

Rene clapped his hands for attention. “Okay, guys. We have just enough time to pack before we have to catch the train. We can talk about the rest of our adventures then.”

<OHSHC>

“Reiko, this is perfect for a photo shoot,” Hikaru said in awe, turning around in a circle to take in the village green, the fountain, and the historic buildings.

“And look at the stone bridge over the stream,” Kaoru breathed, pointing to the picturesque sight. “That will be perfect for the script with the fae enticing away the handsome men of the village.”

Haruhi smirked. “Now aren’t you glad I bought that book of local folklore?”

“Let’s check in at the inn and stow our luggage. Then we’ll have time to look around and find a place to have dinner,” Reiko called, gesturing to the large building on the far side of the village green. “They only had three rooms available so Chiharu, Haruhi, and I will be sharing one. You guys can decide how you want to share the other two.”

“I suggest that those of us with significant others room together and the bachelors can be in the other,” Mitsukuni said with a twinkle in his eye, waggling his eyebrows at Reiko.

Rene spoke up, “I think it would be better if Kyoya was with the twins and I was with Mitsukuni and Takashi so we bachelors can act as chaperones. Can’t have any funny business.” He schooled his expression to look haughty and disdainful. However, he could only hold out for a minute before he started laughing.

Chiharu just rolled her eyes and muttered, “Whatever.”

“I was hoping to slip out for a moonlight stroll,” Takashi whispered in her ear and smiled as she blushed prettily.

Reiko checked in at the front desk and returned with three room keys. “The proprietor said that the best dinner in town is right here in the dining room. For breakfast, he recommended the tea shop near the fountain. Both the dining room and tea shop will pack lunches if we want to walk in the country and have a picnic.”

“Let’s take our luggage to the rooms and then have dinner. I’m starving,” Mitsukuni said. As if to emphasize the point, his stomach rumbled and everyone laugh. “See. I wasn’t kidding.” He grinned and poked himself in the stomach.

“For expediency’s sake, we should put all the luggage in the middle room and sort it out later,” Kyoya suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” Rene agreed. He covered a yawn. “Maybe call it a night after dinner?”

“If you don’t mind, we’d like a minute to change for dinner. We did bring along the dresses the twins made for the graduation party,” Reiko said.

“By all means,” Mitsukuni replied. “You girls go ahead and use the middle room. During dinner, we’ll decide which of us are staying in the other two rooms.”

It didn’t take the young ladies long to change and then they all headed down to the dining room. As expected for a country inn, there was no menu and only a few options available. They all opted to have the hearty beef stew with fresh baked bread and newly churned butter.

“I have to admit, this is pretty good,” Haruhi commented. “Much better than the fish and chips we had for lunch.”

“Definitely,” Chiharu agreed. “Everything was brown on the outside and white on the inside, with more batter than fish.”

“The chips were good though,” Mitsukuni said. “Nice and crisp on the outside and fluffy inside.”

“A lot of it depends on where you get them,” Reiko added. “Today’s was okay. I’ve have better—and I’ve had MUCH worse.”

During dinner, they decided to go with Rene’s plan of Kyoya and the twins being in one room and him being in the other with Mitsukuni and Takashi. The three couples exchanged smiles and surreptitious glances around the table. 

“Let’s get Rene up to bed,” Kaoru said. “He’s practically asleep in his dinner.”

“I’ll carry him up,” Takashi offered, easily picking up the sleeping blond.

“Deja vu?” Hikaru asked.

“But that’s the wrong blond,” Mitsukuni laughed. “I’m over here.”

“I think the conversation with the de Grantaine family this morning has been weighing on him,” Kyoya commented. “Good thing we’ll be in Paris next week. Hopefully we can find his mother easily.”

The group thanked the proprietor as they headed up the stairs to their rooms. The guys grabbed their luggage from the middle room and headed to the ones on either side. Reiko winked as she said, “I’m not really tired yet. Do you two mind if we just sit and talk for a bit?”

Haruhi and Chiharu caught the wink and Haruhi replied, “Let’s talk about what we want to do tomorrow.”

Five minutes later, there was a tap on the door and Reiko opened it to find Mitsukuni, Takashi, and Kyoya. “Would you ladies be interested in a stroll with us?” Mitsukuni asked. “There’s a full moon and the night is so inviting.”

“We would be delighted,” Reiko responded as she took Mitsukuni’s offered arm. They moved aside so Chiharu could take Takashi’s arm and Haruhi, Kyoya’s.

Their first stop was the bridge and they stood in companionable silence as they listened to the soft babbling of the stream that flowed beneath it. They gave no indication that they knew they had been followed.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Kaoru whispered to Hikaru. “Mitsukuni, Takashi, and Kyoya might not take too well to us following them on their moonlight stroll with their significant others.”

“Then be quiet,” Hikaru hissed. “I just want to try out the lowlight filter I purchased today. The full moon is bright enough that I should be able to get some good shots.”

Takashi whispered to the others, “Shall we put on a little show for Hikaru so he can try out his new camera equipment?”

“Definitely,” Mitsukuni breathed. He whispered to Reiko, “Do you trust me?”

“Always,” she replied, kissing his cheek.

He lifted her up to stand on the rail of the bridge, keeping his hands securely on her waist. She closed her eyes and tilted her face upward. Then she raised her arms toward the moon as if embracing the night. A light breeze ruffled the skirt of her dress and the moonlight caused a shimmering effect with the purple and black swirls.

Kaoru’s breath caught in his throat. “She almost looks like the fae of the night.”

Hikaru only nodded as he captured image after image. “The effect is stunning.”

“Hey, Reiko. Turn around and face me,” Mitsukuni directed. After she turned, he said, “Now lean forward. Trust me, I won’t drop you.”

Putting full trust in him, she stiffened and leaned forward. He easily held her up, giving her the illusion of flying on the night air currents and moonbeams. Then he gently tipped her down until her feet were on the ground once again.

“That was amazing,” she sighed before she pulled him into a passionate kiss. “How about we walk down the path toward the apothecary—just the two of us?”

“My pleasure,” he responded, wrapping his arm around her waist and nuzzling her neck.

“Would you care for a walk through the heather?” Takashi suggested to Chiharu, gesturing to the open field on the other side of the stream.

“I would be delighted.” She placed her hand in his and they walked toward the far side of the bridge.

As they strolled through the meadow, she trailed the fingers of her free hand through the heather growing along the path. The heady perfume rose to surround them. Takashi smiled softly as he lifted her hand and gently twirled her around under his arm. The skirt of her dress brushed across the heather causing it to dip and bob as if paying homage to the fae of autumn.

Hikaru’s jaw dropped and he almost forgot about the camera in his hands. The swirl of the russets and golds in Chiharu’s dress seemed to grant a blessing to the heather for its adoration. Takashi and Chiharu slowly swayed away into the darkness.

Kaoru drew a breath, stunned at the vision in the far meadow. “Wow, they look incredible!”

While the others had been putting on their shows for the twins, Kyoya and Haruhi took a seat on a moss-encrusted fallen tree on the near side of the bridge.

The moonlight danced across the spring green and sky blue swirls of Haruhi’s dress. Something about the pale yellow accents seemed to glow ethereally as she settled into Kyoya’s lap and draped her arms around his neck.

With an arm wrapped around her hips, Kyoya secured her in his lap and caressed her jaw with his other hand. She smiled sweetly and his eyes darkened with desire before he kissed her passionately. She made a small sound of disappointment when he pulled away. “Remember, we have an audience,” he murmured, smirking.

“Then we’d better take a walk. Otherwise my hands might start roaming,” Haruhi teased, running a finger down his chest.

“As delightful as that thought is, we’ve talked about the boundaries,” Kyoya replied, taking hold of her hand and kissing it lightly.

Haruhi looked down for a moment. “I know and I promise to behave myself.” She looked into his eyes. “But sometimes you can be so loving and tender that I want to get lost in you.”

“Plenty of time for that in the future. For now, we keep to the safe touches and not push the limits.” Kyoya gently lifted her to her feet by her waist and then stood up himself. “We still have much to learn about the world and each other.” He offered her his hand.

Haruhi took it and they started walking in the direction of the village smithy. She sashayed, making the dress twist and whirl around her.

Hikaru watched Haruhi walk away with Kyoya, snapping picture after picture. “It’s like looking up at the sky as a breeze blows through a tree’s new growth in the spring. The moonlight is catching the pale yellow just like dappled sunlight through the tree.”

“Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous,” Kaoru agreed.

Since the three couples had walked off in different directions, Hikaru and Kaoru decided to sit on the lip of the fountain near the village green and look through the pictures.

Flipping back and forth through the images that he had shot, Hikaru had a realization. “Hey, Kaoru, I just noticed something.”

“What’s that?” he responded with interest.

“Remember the other two bolts of cloth that I water-marbled when I did the ones for Reiko, Chiharu, and Haruhi?”

“Yeah. There was the stark white one with the blue accents and the bold green one with red, blue, and yellow accents.”

“Do you recognize a pattern in the five fabrics?”

Kaoru looked confused. “How do you mean?"

“If Reiko, Chiharu, and Haruhi were fairies, what would they represent?”

Puzzled, Kaoru said tentatively, “The night, autumn, and spring?”

“Yes! Now what might the other two bolts of cloth represent, if they were made into dresses of the same style?”

“Oh, I get it. Winter like glacial ice and summer like a flower garden in full bloom. That’s incredible.”

Hikaru packed the camera away and leaned his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands in front of him. “Do you think we’ll ever find someone? Like Mitsukuni, Takashi, and Kyoya have?”

Kaoru pondered that thought for a few moments. “I would hope so. We’re still young. There are still plenty of people we haven’t met yet.”

Chuckling dryly, Hikaru said, “You’re right. I thought I had feelings for Haruhi at one time, but that ‘date’ you set us up on in Karuizawa showed me that we just didn’t fit. I knew you liked her too. I realized that she would never want to come between us, so she couldn’t be with either of us.”

“And look how far Mitsukuni, Takashi, and Kyoya have come—even Reiko and Chiharu, in a way,” Kaoru pointed out. “We grew up with all five of them and, looking back, I could never have imagined them as they are now.”

Hikaru pondered Kaoru’s words. Slowly he nodded. “You’re right. I vaguely remember meeting them all in elementary school. Just like us, they kept to their own worlds.”

“Until Rene,” Kaoru interjected.

“Yeah, until Rene…and Haruhi,” Hikaru agreed. “Talk about shaking up the status quo. I wonder if either of them realizes the impact they have on everyone around them?”

“Now that our world has opened up to others, at least there’s a better chance of us finding our own significant others in the future,” Kaoru postulated.

“You’re right. But now I’m tired. Let’s head to bed. I’m sure the others will be coming back soon.” Hikaru yawned and then looked sheepish.

Kaoru yawned in response. “Yeah, I’m nearly asleep on my feet. Let’s go.”


	21. Facing the Past - London Edition, Part 2

Haruhi, Chiharu, and Reiko were awakened by a soft, but persistent knocking on their door. When Haruhi opened it, she found Mitsukuni waiting dressed in his gi. “Takashi and I decided that it would be best to have you three brush up on your karate skills before we return to London. Between the rabid fangirls and the seedy blokes, we want to be sure you can defend yourselves.”

“Good idea,” Haruhi replied. “Just give us a few minutes. Will t-shirts and shorts be okay? I didn’t pack my gi and I don’t think Chiharu or Reiko did either.”

“T-shirts and shorts are fine,” Mitsukuni assured her. “We’ll meet you downstairs.”

Ten minutes later, they were on the village green. The ladies were moving through the forms with Mitsukuni correcting and encouraging them. Takashi was on the other side of the green working though the kendo forms. The twins moved back and forth between them, taking pictures and keeping up a humorous running commentary about their companions. Several occupants of the village stopped to watch the strangers, smiling indulgently and shaking their heads at the eccentricities of foreigners.

By the time Kyoya and Rene joined them, the workouts were finished and they were gathered around the fountain taking direction from Kaoru as Hikaru took photos. 

“How about getting cleaned up and changed so we can get breakfast?” Rene called.

Hikaru seemed to ignore him for a moment before he yelled, “Done!” Handing the camera to Kaoru, he said, “Thank you all for putting up with me. It was a great shoot this morning.” Then he turned to Rene. “Okay, NOW they can got get cleaned up and changed so we can get breakfast.”

“We’ll meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes,” Mitsukuni said as they headed for the inn.

Kyoya was sitting in the lobby looking through some paperwork when Haruhi walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed his neck. “What are you doing?” she purred.

Slipping the papers into the folder laying on the table in front of him, Kyoya pulled her around into his lap. “Just looking over an investment opportunity Kosaku sent me that afternoon you all were out shopping.”

“He’s supposed to be on paternity leave, doting on Hibiki and Ren.”

“That’s why he sent it to me. He knew I would be particularly interested in it,” he murmured as he nuzzled her ear.

Turning to look him in the eyes, she quirked and eyebrow. “And why would you have a particular interest in it?” She started to reach for the folder.

He captured her hands and kissed her knuckles. “I want it to be a surprise if it, in fact, works out. Just be patient.”

“If I must,” she huffed playfully. She shifted off his lap, stood up, and pulled him to his feet just as the other two couples entered the lobby.

From the other side of the lobby, they heard Rene whine, “It’s about time. I’m starving.”

“I thought I was the growing boy,” Mitsukuni teased in response.

Everyone laughed as they made their way to the tea shop the inn’s proprietor pointed out the previous evening. After a hearty breakfast, Reiko said, “I’m going to head to the apothecary and take care of my business.” She stood up and continued, “I don’t know how long it will take and our train leaves at noon. Haruhi and Chiharu, if you could pack my things it would be most helpful.”

“May I accompany you?” Mitsukuni asked.

Reiko smiled and blushed. “I was hoping you would. But what about your things?”

“I’ll take care of it,” Takashi offered.

Haruhi looked around the table. “Sounds like we all have our morning plans. Let’s meet at the train station by eleven thirty.”

“The only thing missing is ordering lunch to take with us on the train,” Rene pointed out. “I can do that.”

As everyone else headed out, Kyoya and Haruhi paid the bill for breakfast with a generous tip. “It was a wonderful meal,” Kyoya said as he took back his credit card.

“Thank you for coming in.”

Reiko and Mitsukuni walked hand-in-hand to the apothecary shop. There was the tinkle of a bell when Mitsukuni opened the door and stood aside for Reiko to enter.

“Good morning, how may I help you?” the proprietress asked.

“Good morning. I would like to buy medicinal plant seeds and cuttings for shipment to Japan,” Reiko stated.

Turning around at the remembered voice, the proprietress answered haughtily, “Ms. Kanazuki, as I told you last time, those items require special permits and licensure to remove from England.”

Mitsukuni started to bristle at the dismissive tone.

Reiko laid a hand on his arm. Smiling, she replied, “I remember, Mrs. Peters. I have obtained the necessary documentation.” She opened her portfolio and extracted two large manila envelopes.

Mrs. Peters took her time examining the documents and verifying their authenticity. Finally, she smiled. “I can’t be too careful. Some of these plants can be distilled into narcotics and other controlled substances.”

“I am well aware. I am also aware of how much more effective and safer they are than the laboratory-created chemicals designed for the same purposes. They are also an integral part of my course of study.”

Mitsukuni stepped back into the shadows and allowed the two women a semblance of privacy as they conducted their business.

“You do realized that, even with the permits and licenses, they will be expensive. And then there is the matter of specialized shipping.”

Reiko smiled sweetly. “I have anticipated all those matters. I need to know what I can get here and what I will have to acquire elsewhere.”

Mrs. Peters frowned. “You don’t think I have everything you need?”

“There are several plants that I wish to study that can only be obtained from a specialist located near Stonehenge. There are two or three others that I hope you have here in Bilbery, but suspect I may need to purchase from The Cotswolds near Ablington.”

“Well, at least you’ve done your homework and are only purchasing from the best. Let’s have a look at your list and see what we can do,” Mrs. Peters said.

The two women spent the next hour locating, packing, documenting, and crating the seeds and plant cuttings for the flora on Reiko’s list. “Well, it looks like I had everything but those three from Stonehenge and two that are only available in the Cotswold. You finish filling out the paperwork while I total up the bill.”

A few minutes later, Mrs. Peters handed Reiko an invoice and Reiko handed her the paperwork that needed to be included with the shipment. While Reiko examined the invoice, Mrs. Peters placed one set of documents in the crate and securely nailed on the lid. Then she pasted one document to the top of the crate and affixed another set in a plastic pouch on the side. Finally, she pulled out paint and stencils to mark the crate in bold letters, ‘Handle With Care,’ ‘Live Plants,’ ‘Keep From Heat.’

Reiko nodded after examining the invoice. “This all looks very reasonable,” she said as she handed Mrs. Peters her credit card.

Mitsukuni noticed the brief look of surprise on Mrs. Peters face when Reiko didn’t argue or haggle over the purchase. “ _In a way, Mrs. Peters makes me think of Haruhi and her reaction to how we spend money.”_

“Should I arrange to have the crate taken to the train station?” Mrs. Peters asked.

“That won’t be necessary. Our next stop is the train station and Mr. Hinan can carry it for me,” Reiko replied, smiling at Mitsukuni.

“That crate is rather heavy. It would be no problem to get one of the Smith boys to take it over in their cart.”

“Not to worry, ma’am.” Mitsukuni chuckled as he gently lifted the crate easily to his shoulder and steadied it with one hand while using the other hand to open the door for Reiko.

Before she left, Reiko turned to Mrs. Peters and said, “Thank you so much for all your help. Have a good day."

“You have a good day as well. And enjoy your travels.”

The others were waiting at the train station when Mitsukuni and Reiko arrived. “A successful undertaking?” Haruhi asked.

“Very successful. There were only five that she didn’t have. Three only grow near Stonehenge and the other two in The Cotswold.”

“Well, Stonehenge is our next stop,” Kaoru stated.

“That’s where I want to do our photo shoot,” Hikaru declared.

“Does that mean the one last night and the one this morning don’t count?” Haruhi teased.

Hikaru blushed deep red. “You knew about last night?”

Laughing as she waved to Takashi, Mitsukuni, and Kyoya, she answered, “Do you really think you could follow any of these guys and not have them notice you? I don’t think even the disguises we used in London would have helped.”

“Okay, point taken.”

“So when do we get to see the pictures?” Chiharu asked. “I’d especially like to see how the ones from last night turned out.”

Hikaru pondered the question. “I only have the display on the camera. I didn’t bring my laptop.”

Kyoya reached into his bag and pulled out a tablet. “Will this be adequate?”

Taking it, Hikaru examined the accesses. “Yes, this should work. The camera memory card should fit in this slot.” He pulled out the camera and moved the memory card to the tablet. It took just a few minutes for him to figure out how to call up the images.

Glancing at the time display on the tablet, he muttered, “We should probably wait until we’re on the train. It should be here any minute.” As if on cue, a whistle sounded in the distance.

Over the excellent lunch that Rene purchased at the tea shop, they passed around the tablet and admired the photos Hikaru had taken.

“These are breath-taking,” Takashi breathed, staring at the image of Chiharu twirling under his arm in the moonlight, reluctant to pass the tablet on to the next person.

“Absolutely stunning,” Kyoya agreed as he looked at Haruhi, remembering the images they had just looked at of her sashaying in the moonlight.

Reiko looked around the table. “You know, I was just thinking. Except for Rene and Haruhi, we’ve all known one another most of our lives.”

“True,” Kaoru agreed. “But in some ways, we didn’t really get to know one another until Rene came along and suggested the Host Club four years ago.”

“Even then, we didn’t get close until Haruhi stumbled into our midst,” Rene added.

“I know we made it hard to get to know us,” Hikaru admitted.

Kaoru chuckled. “I remember the garden party when we officially met Kyoya for the first time. It was just before our third year in elementary and his fourth. Because he was so stiff, we joked that he was not really the third Otori son. We went around the party telling everyone that the Otoris were branching out of medicine and Kyoya was their prototype robot.”

Kyoya smirked. “Oh yes, I remember that well. I decided to get back at you two by telling your mother that you would look adorable in matching dresses with pink and blue hair extensions. It was all I could do to keep from laughing at the next garden party when that’s how you were dressed.”

“That was you?!?!?” they cried in unison. “Mom just said someone suggested it.”

“It seemed only fair. If I was stiff enough to be a robot, you two were cute enough to be girls.”

Hikaru said, “Did you know that stunt was the reason Ageha was born? Mom and Dad thought we were so cute that they just had to try for a little girl. It took a few years, but she was born just before Rene asked us to join the Host Club.”

Kaoru sobered. “I overheard Mom and Dad talking not long after Ageha was born. Apparently, there were several miscarriages that took quite a toll on Mom physically and emotionally. They had almost decided to give up when they found out Mom was pregnant with Ageha. That was the year they didn’t do any traveling and Mom released a very minimal line.”

“Does that mean we can blame Ageha’s imperious nature on Kyoya?” Hikaru teased, trying to lighten the mood again.

“I’d claim her as a sister any day,” Kyoya replied with a smile.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the train station near Stonehenge. “It shouldn’t take long to settle my business and then we can head out to the circle for our photo shoot,” Reiko said.

“We’ll take the luggage to the hotel and meet you in the lobby,” Kyoya commented.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Mitsukuni asked Reiko.

“If you want to. It won’t take long and it will be a much smaller shipment,” she replied.

Mitsukuni reached for Reiko’s hand. “Of course I want to. I enjoy spending time with my significant other.” He kissed the back of her hand and said, “Lead the way.”

The others had just settled in the lobby when Reiko and Mitsukuni walked through the front door.

“Everything go okay?” Chiharu asked, seeing their empty hands.

“Fine. We just dropped the crate off at the train station on our way here so it can catch the next train and get started on its trip to Japan.”

“Let’s head out then,” Hikaru called. “I don’t know how well the photo shoot is going to work, considering how many tourists visit Stonehenge every day.”

“At least it’s not a formal shoot,” Haruhi soothed. “It’s just supposed to be a spot of fun on our trip.”

“Besides,” Kaoru interjected, “nothing could top that moonlight shoot.”

After several hours of exploring the monument and shooting in different areas, they noticed that they were being followed. It was a group of a dozen Japanese school girls.

“Probably some more Hitachiins fans,” Hikaru speculated.

“I think I’ll go ask them. Maybe they’re just curious since we are obviously from Japan too,” Reiko said, taking Mitsukuni’s hand and walking in the direction of the group of girls.

As they approached most of the girls pushed two of their members to the front. Reiko addressed the representatives. “I noticed you were watching our group. Can we help you with something?”

“Is that Haruhi Fujioka with you?” the taller one asked tentatively.

Suspiciously, Mitsukuni asked, “How do you know Haruhi?”

Slightly embarrassed, the girl looked down at her feet and answered, “We went to middle school together. Our friend Arai told us Haruhi was on a graduation trip to England and France with some friends.”

Comprehension dawned and Mitsukuni smiled. “Yes, that’s Haruhi. I met Arai a few years ago. He’s a great guy.”

“I’m Naho and this is Ninon. The others are our high school friends. This is our graduation trip,” the taller girl responded, a look of relief on her face.

“I’m Mitsukuni and this is Reiko. Why don’t you come over and say ‘hello’ to Haruhi? I’m sure she’d like that.”

As the group approached with Mitsukuni and Reiko, Haruhi watched with interest. “ _Some of those girls look familiar. I wonder why?_ ” When they were close enough, a smile lit Haruhi’s face and she hurried forward to meet them.

“Naho? Ninon? Is that you?” Haruhi cried. “I haven’t seen you in years!”

The three old friends hugged while the others stood around nervously. Finally, Rene couldn’t stand the awkward silence so he announced, “I’d like to treat everyone to dinner. Any idea where we should eat?”

One of Naho and Ninon’s friends stepped forward timidly. “There’s a very nice restaurant in the hotel where we’re staying.”

Rene’s face lit up. “Are you staying at The Antrobus Hotel too? When we checked in, they told us the Siam Smile was excellent.”

“Yes, that’s where we’re staying,” she responded.

Waving his hands to get everyone’s attention, Rene announced, “Let’s all start heading back to the hotel. I’m treating all of us to dinner at the restaurant.”

Haruhi chuckled at the astonished looks on her friends’ faces. “Don’t worry, he can afford it. That’s what I get for attending Ouran Academy.”

“Arai mentioned they were rich, but he never explained how rich,” Naho said.

“He only saw them a couple days on summer break while they were just relaxing at Misuzu’s pension in Karuizawa. I may have failed to mention that their families all have vacation mansions there.” Haruhi twisted her fingers a little guiltily. “He already knew they were rich because I introduced them as friends from Ouran.”

Naho poked Haruhi in the ribs. “How about you introduce us to your friends? Starting with the extremely handsome gentleman standing behind you possessively.”

Haruhi looked over her shoulder and saw Kyoya smirking at her. Turning back to her friends, she said, “This is my significant other, Kyoya Hinan. The other five guys are his brothers. The one offering to treat us to dinner is Rene. The other blond is Mitsukuni with his significant other, Reiko Kanazuki. With them are Takashi and his significant other, Chiharu Tojo.”

Swiveling her head around, she finally spotted the missing brothers. Pointing to the pair of redheads horsing around with the camera, she said, “That is Hikaru and Kaoru. Hikaru is the one with the camera.”

Naho and Ninon’s friends had gathered around to hear the introductions. “These are the friends we made in high school after you left us for Ouran,” Naho teased. She pointed to each one as she introduced them. “Suzume, Mei, Yuyuka, Maika, Satoko, Tao, Karin, Tsubasa, Kazumi, and Yukina.”

Rene proceeded to take each girl’s hand in turn, kiss it, and say, “So pleased to make your acquaintance.” All the girls giggled at his antics.

Ninon looked at Haruhi and asked, “Is he always like this?”

“Oh no,” Haruhi replied. “Sometimes he’s much worse.”

“Tell me something, Haruhi,” Naho asked with a puzzled expression. “Are these the Host Club that Arai told us about? And if so, why didn’t he mention that they were brothers?”

“That’s an interesting story…several stories. How about we go into them over dinner?” Haruhi hedged, looking around at the Hinan brothers for their permission. All of them looked at her and smiled their approval.

“Do I get to tell mine first?” Rene asked excitedly.

“Wouldn’t it be better if we told them in order?” the twins insisted in unison.

Kyoya shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We could always draw straws,” he suggested sarcastically.

“Excellent idea,” Rene agreed enthusiastically.

“Actually,” Mitsukuni interrupted, “it would be better if the events were told in order since the young ladies haven’t seen Haruhi in three years.”

Crestfallen, Rene conceded, “That makes sense.” Then he brightened. “That means we need to tell the story of how we met Haruhi and she became part of the Host Club.”

“I hope you have plenty of time because this could take a while,” Haruhi sighed in exasperation.

Ninon glanced at the time on her phone. “It’s still a half hour before our tour bus returns to take us to the hotel.”

“You all can ride back with us. There’s plenty of room,” Kyoya offered. “That way Rene can start the story before he bursts,” he continued, trying very hard to control an eye roll.

“Are you sure?” Ninon asked.

Kyoya chuckled. “At the time we made reservations for transportation there were only two options available—6-passenger or 24-passenger. Because there are nine of us, the 6-passenger was inadequate.”

Haruhi bumped her shoulder against his. “What he’s trying to say is that there’s plenty of room. Now let’s load up and head back to the hotel for dinner. We can start the stories on the way.”

Rene started describing Haruhi’s arrival in Music Room Three in his most flamboyant manner. Naho and Ninon looked at Haruhi questioningly as he described Haruhi’s appearance.

Haruhi turned to her significant other. “Hey, Kyoya, do you still have one of the photos from my first day at Ouran?”

Teasingly, he replied, “You wound me, to think I would dispose or misplace information of any sort.” He pulled out his tablet and keyed his way through several layers of security. “Perhaps this is the best choice?”

Looking at her picture with the chopped hair, large-rimmed glasses, and baggy clothes brought back so many memories. She was almost reluctant as she handed it to Naho and motioned for her to pass it around.

“WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR?” Ninon shouted, gawking at the photo on the tablet.

Haruhi blushed. “Well, you remember that little brat, Nao, who lived in the apartment building next to mine? The day before I started high school, he purposely stuck a huge wad of gum in my hair. I tried everything to get it out. In the end, all I could do was cut it. THAT is the result.”

After everyone had a chance to look at the picture of Haruhi, Rene continued his tale. He had only reached the part about the physicals when they arrived at the hotel.

Reiko said, “Hey, Rene, could you pause for a few minutes while we put our things away and get cleaned up for dinner?”

“But of course,” he replied regally, bowing deeply.

While he waited for the others to return, Kyoya made arrangements with the restaurant for their very large party. The manager paled slightly when he said it would be a party of twenty-one. “Will the private dining room be acceptable?”

Rene sauntered up and said, “That will be admirable, my good man. I will be paying for our party this evening.”

The manager looked to Kyoya who nodded. “Yes, please give him the bill.” The manager look skeptical. “I assure you, he can afford it.”

Ten minutes later, the rest of their party was gathered and the manager led them to the private dining room. “Your waitresses will be with you shortly.”

Once the orders were placed and the waitresses had left, Rene resumed his tale. Except to add details or perspectives, the others just listened in rapt attention at the adventures and misadventures of the Host Club.

Just before their food arrived, Rene reached the point when Usa-chan became the first member of the Hinan family.

“Wait…wait…wait,” Naho said waving her hands. “Just who is Usa-chan?”

Kyoya pulled out his tablet and flipped through photos until he reached one that was taken not long after the picture of Haruhi that he had pulled up earlier.

“So the blond is Usa-chan?” Naho asked, confused.

Mitsukuni laughed. “No, Usa-chan is the pink rabbit. I’m the blond.”

Seeing the confusion on the girls’ faces, Haruhi tapped the picture and said, “This is what Mitsukuni looked like when I met him. He was eighteen when this was taken.”

“You’re kidding!” Ninon blurted out.

Reiko smiled. “No, he really was that short. Let’s let Rene continue and it will all make sense—well, as much sense as it can coming from Rene.”

“Hey,” he retorted. “I resemble that remark.”

“We know. Now get back to the story,” the twins teased.

Rene continued with the story of Mitsukuni’s headaches and moodiness, the death of the twins’ parents, and the discovery of the tumor.

“His father actually believed that it was a lack of self-control on Mitsukuni’s part?!?!?” Naho shouted.

Haruhi laid a hand on her arm. “We couldn’t believe it either, but that’s why he was adopted by the Hinan family.”

Naho looked at Mitsukuni. “How much have you grown since the tumor was removed?”

“At my check-up just before we left Japan, the doctor said I had grown nine inches in the past year.”

“That’s great,“ Haruhi said, patting his hand. “I take it your hormones are back to normal, too?”

“Yes, my appointment was all good news.” He winked at Haruhi and kissed Reiko. “Okay, Rene, finish the story.”

“Let’s see. That just leave Takashi leaving his family because of the attitudes of his father and uncle. And Kyoya and I were disowned by our families. Done.” Rene clapped his hands with finality.

Ninon pushed at Haruhi’s shoulder. “Quite the exciting life you’ve been leading since you left us.”

Haruhi groaned. “That’s what happens when you get involved with the elite families of Japan. Drama, drama, drama.”

Everyone laughed.

The girls sitting around Hikaru and Kaoru started asking them about fashion, photo shoots, and their future plans.

Shyly, Satoko said to Takashi, “I saw you win the kendo tournament in December. It was really exciting. You eliminated my brother in the third round.”

Takashi pondered for a moment. “Ah, yes. Takane Serigawa. He had good form and fought well.”

“Mitsukuni, I was in karate club in high school. Once a month, our sensei would show us recordings of your matches when you used to compete,” Yukina stated.

He smiled at her. “Did you learn anything?”

“Yes, that you moved so quickly, sensei had to use slow motion just so we could catch what you were doing.”

Those sitting nearby laughed. Reiko commented, “That’s probably part of the reason why they don’t let him compete anymore. How can the referee award points if he can’t see the moves?”

Several of the girls sitting around the twins started to yawn.

“Hey, we’re not that boring, are we?” Hikaru teased.

Naho replied, “It’s just been a long day for us. We need to get going because we have to leave early in the morning.”

Ninon continued, “Thank you for dinner and the entertaining stories. Maybe we’ll get together again back in Japan.”

Each of the girls murmured their ‘Thank you’ and bowed before they left as a group.

“Well, that was fun,” Chiharu said. “It was nice meeting some of your old friends, Haruhi.”

“It was good to see them,” she agreed.

Now that things were quieting down, Rene started to yawn. “I guess we should head to bed as well.”

“Yes. Let’s go before I have to carry you again,” Takashi teased. “I think Mitsukuni was a little jealous last time.”

“Hey, I was not,” he retorted.

“Could have fooled us,” the twins cooed.

“That’s it! Bedtime for all of you,” Kyoya announced, shooing them toward the door.

“Yes, otou-san,” was the chorused response. Everyone laughed as they left the restaurant and headed for their rooms.

Haruhi took Kyoya’s hand and whispered, “At least they waited to call you ‘otou-san’ and none of them called me ‘okaa-san’ in front of my friends. That would have taken more explaining.”

<OHSHC>

The next morning, Haruhi was out on the greenspace near the hotel with Mitsukuni, Reiko, and Chiharu working through the karate forms while Takashi was nearby practicing kendo. “Mitsukuni, if you will excuse me for a moment, I see my friends getting ready to leave.”

He nodded his approval. She bowed and hurried over to her friends.

“Naho. Ninon. Wait a minute,” Haruhi called.

They turned and smiled when they saw her. “Thank you for coming to see us off. We really need to get together when we’re all back in Japan.”

“Well, I’ll be at Tokyo University, so you should have a general idea where to find me.”

“Yeah, the library,” Ninon teased, giggling.

Naho pulled out her phone. “Put in your contact information. I’ll send it to Ninon and text you so you’ll have ours.”

Just as Haruhi handed back Naho’s phone, the bus driver motioned impatiently. “We have to go.”

Haruhi waved as the bus pulled away and then she returned to her workout with the others. 

Mitsukuni looked up as she approached. “Haruhi, we’re done so we’re going to get cleaned up and changed. Takashi isn’t finished yet so he’ll be here to make sure you complete your forms.”

“Yes, sensei,” she teased and picked up where she’d left off. Concentrating intently, she was oblivious to Takashi watching her until he said, “You need to check the placement of your back foot.”

Startled, she looked down and saw that her back foot was out of alignment. Correcting her stance, she repeated the form and finished her workout. “Thank you. I was concentrating on my hands.”

“Remember, your feet are your foundation. If they are not firmly planted, you will be unsteady or off-balance. Now we should get cleaned up so we can meet the others for breakfast.”

Ten minutes later, everyone was gathered in the lobby, ready to head to a nearby tea shop for breakfast.

Reiko said, “Thank you guys so much for coming with me on my shopping expedition. I just have two plants to purchase from The Cotswolds near Ablington and then we can go back to London.” 

Kyoya consulted his tablet. “The train for Ablington leaves at ten and the trip takes four hours. We’ll need to purchase a lunch for the trip.”

“My purchases should only take a few minutes.”

“Let’s see. We’ll have about an hour between trains in Ablington. Other than Reiko’s shopping, I think we should stay close to the station.”

“How long from there to London?” Hikaru asked.

“That trip is about two hours. We should get to the London station about dinner time. Reiko, can you recommend any restaurants near the station where we could get dinner while we wait for our security detail?”

“Yes, there’s one just a short walk from the station. It has excellent security because a lot of celebrities meet there for interviews and business deals.”

“Excellent. I think that covers everything,” Kyoya murmured in satisfaction and put away his tablet.


	22. Facing the Past - London Edition, Part 3

Reiko looked around the shop with some trepidation, even with the Host Club at her back. Unlike the friendly, homey feeling she got from the Bilbery Apothecary or the quiet, business-like atmosphere at the shop in Stonehenge, there was a brooding air about this place. Because no one was in evidence, Reiko rang the bell on the counter.

“What do you want?” demanded a gruff voice from behind a curtain at the rear of the shop.

Reiko cleared her throat. “I’m here to purchase some plant cuttings and seeds.”

“Anything purchased from here requires special licenses and permits.”

“I am well aware of that fact.” She tried very hard not to sound intimidated, but something about his voice sounded…dangerous.

The curtain was flung aside by a muscular hand and a man entered. He was about the same size and build as Kyoya, but the glower on his face was more like Yoshio Otori in a foul mood. “Hand them over,” he demanded.

Reiko held out the two envelopes and he snatched them violently out of her hand. She involuntarily took a step back and was relieved to realize she was now leaning against Mitsukuni’s solid chest. Although he wanted to wrap his arms around her to protect her, he settled for gently grasping her elbow to steady her.

She looked over her shoulder and saw the dark scowl he directed at the shopkeeper. Turning her attention back to the man rifling through her papers, she watched him carefully.

Finally, he dropped the paperwork carelessly on the counter and growled, “What do you want?”

Reiko handed him a piece of paper with the names of the two plant propagates she needed.

He took the paper and scowled. “You realized we don’t keep these lying around the shop. I’ll have to make a special trip out to cut and pack them for shipment.”

“I understand. I can fill out the paperwork and pay for them now. You can ship as soon as you gather them,” Reiko replied reasonably. She felt Mitsukuni step closer to her as the man leaned forward.

The shopkeeper reached under the counter and pulled out a clipboard with the necessary paperwork attached. “Fill this out while I prepare your invoice.” He turned around and opened a low cupboard that housed his computer and printer.

Reiko returned her documents to their envelopes and placed them back in her portfolio. Then she began filling out the paperwork.

Kyoya watched the interactions with interest. “ _Something is not right here. I can’t put my finger on it. And I do NOT like the way he is treating Reiko_.” He pushed his glasses up and continued to observe.

Reiko finished the paperwork and slid the clipboard across the counter. The shopkeeper tossed the invoice carelessly next to it. She picked it up and examined it. She raised an eyebrow at the prices, but decided not to protest. “ _This is the only place these plants are available_.”

The surly man flipped through the paperwork and seemed satisfied that it had been filled out completely. “Payment is due,” he grunted.

Pulling her wallet from her bag, Reiko handed him her credit card. After the processing was complete, they left the shop and headed back to the train station.

Once all the others were on their way, Kyoya turned back to the shop. Ringing the bell, he waited for the shopkeeper to return.

“What do you want?” he growled.

“I simply want to warn you that, should that package not be waiting in Japan for the young lady when she completes her travels, you will be receiving a visit from the head of security for SK Enterprises,” Kyoya said conversationally.

“Like a huge company like that will worry about some package of plants or listen to a scrawny little kid like you.”

Eyeing him appraisingly, Kyoya smirked. “ _Oh, this will be fun if he decides to test me.”_

“Get out!” the shopkeeper shouted. “I have better things to do that listen to snot-nosed foreigners trying to throw their imagined clout around.”

“Very well. I suggest you heed my warning. Good day.”

Haruhi was standing outside the shop looking perplexed. She brightened when Kyoya came out the door. “There you are. Intimidating the local baka? Everyone was asking me if I missed a signal that you and I were going to meet and make out.”

“Rene or the twins?”

“All of the above.” She smiled and looped her arm through his. “Let’s get to the station before they come looking for us.”

“But weren’t we meeting somewhere to make out?” he asked mockingly as he pulled her into an embrace.

“Oh, you,” she sputtered before slipping her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately.

They were interrupted by Takashi clearing his throat. “I thought it was my turn to sneak off with Chiharu and make out,” he teased, his chuckle a deep rumble in his chest.

Haruhi blushed and Kyoya commented, “I guess I didn’t get the memo. I take it Rene sent you to find us?”

“Hn.”

The three of them laughed all the way back to the train station and their waiting friends.

<OHSHC>

The friends sat around the breakfast table quietly discussing their adventures in the English countryside. “At least our return home was uneventful,” Hikaru noted.

“I really enjoyed the trip,” Haruhi commented. “Thank you for suggesting it, Reiko.”

“Thank you all for coming along. It was so much more fun with friends,” Reiko said. “Especially that last stop. I would have hated to deal with that shopkeeper by myself.”

“Speaking of which,” Kyoya interjected, “I was wondering if you might have some contacts here in England that would be a good replacement for him.”

Reiko looked at him in confusion. “Replacement?”

“There was something…off about him. I’m going to have the SK Enterprises’ head of security look into him. If my suspicions are correct, he won’t be available to fill that job much longer. Because you deem the plants available from there to be important, the shop needs to remain a viable option to acquire them.”

“Oh, I see,” Reiko responded. She thought for a moment and then smiled. “Yes. I do believe I know three or four botanists who would be honored to take on such responsibility.”

“Please make a list with their contact information. I will see that SK Enterprises makes good use of it,” Kyoya said.

Haruhi chuckled. “I take it SK Enterprises is the England branch of your holdings?”

“That’s correct.”

Rene looked at his best friend with a puzzled expression. “What does the SK stand for?”

“Shadow King, of course,” Takashi answered.

Clapping his hand to his forehead, Rene muttered, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Kyoya’s London head of security entered the dining room and handed him an official document. “The private visit to the memorial has been scheduled for the day after tomorrow.”

“Why not sooner?” Kyoya inquired.

“Two French designers are having some sort of dispute. One is based in Paris and the other in New York. They insisted in meeting on neutral ground to settle their dispute and decided the memorial was ‘perfect’ for their purposes,” the head of security reported, trying and failing to keep the note of exasperation out of his tone.

“Probably just posturing and photo ops prior to the beginning of Paris Fashion Week in July,” Hikaru carped disdainfully.

Trying to placate his injured feelings, Haruhi said, “Well, at least it’s the day before we leave for Paris. If the memories get to be too overwhelming, you can take comfort in knowing we’re leaving the next day.”

Kaoru wrapped his arm around his brother’s shoulders. “I’m more put out they’re basically using our pain for their own gain.”

The twins scowled mischievously. “Too bad we couldn’t sabotage their little photo op.”

Haruhi frowned at them. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but there is a better way for you two to spend today and tomorrow.”

“And what is that, pray tell?”

Rolling her eyes and raising her hands in surrender, she said, “You wanted to take me to your favorite boutiques and do some shopping. That is what I agreed to for your graduation present, isn’t it?”

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a glance and devilish smiles started to spread across their faces. “Ah yes, shopping. So much more fun.”

Kyoya cleared his throat to get their attention. “I will be accompanying you three on this shopping trip.”

Pouting, the twins whined, “Why? Don’t you trust us?”

“In a word, ‘No.’ Although I trust that Haruhi will veto any inappropriate outfits, it does not necessarily follow that you will not purchase them for her. She and I have an understanding about our relationship and have set certain…boundaries to keep hormonal urges in check.” Kyoya’s expression showed he would brook no nonsense from the pair.

Inwardly, Haruhi sighed in relief that Kyoya would be accompanying them. The twins had gotten better over the last year and a half, but they still loved to dress Haruhi in some of the most inappropriate clothing. “ _If clothing is what you can call those string bikinis, mini-cocktail skirts, see-through blouses, and barely-there slinky dresses.”_

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a silent conversation before Hikaru finally said, “Very well. You can come and we won’t buy Haruhi anything you deem inappropriate.”

Kyoya looked between the pair suspiciously. _“I have a feeling they’re up to something. His response was too carefully worded, as if mentally inserting a loophole. I’ll just have to remain vigilant.”_

“When do you want to leave?” Haruhi asked, placing her empty breakfast plate on the sideboard.

“We’ll need to put on disguises since we’re headed into the fashion district and we’ve visited these places before with our parents,” Kaoru explained.

“Shall we say ten o’clock then?” Kyoya suggested.

“Works for me,“ the twins chorused.

Haruhi turned to Reiko and Chiharu. “Do you want to come along, too?”

Reiko smiled. “No, but thank you for asking. We have plans for today. Takashi and Mitsukuni want to see the Natural History Museum, Westminster Abbey, and the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We also want to take a walk in Hyde Park.”

“We have a list of places we’d like to visit and things we’d like to do, though not all today,” Chiharu added. “There’s the British Museum, the Tower of London, Kyoto Garden, and High Tea at Kensington Palace.”

“Don’t forget that we’re meeting at the London Eye Pier by five o’clock. I already got us tickets for the cruise and then a private VIP pod on the Eye,” Rene said excitedly. “Afterwards I made reservations for us on the Thames River Dinner Cruise. It will be so much fun.”

“So, what are your plans for today, Rene? Are you staying here or going out exploring?” Haruhi asked.

“I don’t want to stay here, but I also don’t want to go out alone.” He looked crestfallen. “I don’t want to intrude on the couple’s adventures either.”

Kyoya walked over and patted his shoulder. “Why don’t you come with us? That is, if you don’t mind shopping?”

“Is that really okay, otou-san? Okaa-san?” he asked eagerly.

Haruhi turned to the twins. “Do you see any problem with Rene accompanying us?”

Hikaru shrugged. “I don’t see why he can’t come with us. Maybe we could find him some outfits too.”

Kaoru rubbed his hands together gleefully. “That sounds like fun.”

“Okay?” Rene responded, looking a little uncomfortable at Kaoru’s chortling and Cheshire-cat grin.

“I’d like to make reservations for us all to have High Tea together at Kensington Palace tomorrow evening, if that’s okay with everyone,” Mitsukuni commented.

Haruhi replied, “That sounds like a great idea. I’d like a chance to compare it to that cosplay we did.” Kyoya frowned at her. “Not that I don’t think your research was impeccable. I’m just curious.”

His expression relaxed slightly. “Don’t be surprised if you pay for that little remark sometime.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Haruhi teased, smiling warmly at him. “Shall we all get ready and head out on our adventures?”

“Yes” was the chorused reply as they moved to place empty dishes on the sideboard.

“I want to speak to the head housekeeper before we go. With the emotionally charged day coming up soon, I think it would be prudent if we all slept together to support Hikaru and Kaoru,” Kyoya announced. “Not to mention what we may find out in Paris soon.”

“Great idea,” Haruhi agreed, patting Rene’s shoulder and smiling at the twins.

Hikaru and Kaoru wrapped their arms around Kyoya’s shoulders and whispered, “Thanks, otou-san. That means a lot to us.”

“Okay. Enough. Off you go. I have arrangements to make.”

<OHSHC>

Hikaru and Kaoru were chattering happily at Haruhi as they made their way to the next boutique. “We took you to all the good ones yesterday and saved the great ones for today.”

Haruhi sighed wearily and shook her head. “I hope you guys realize how much I have to love you to let you drag me around shopping for clothes.”

“But you’ll enjoy this next store,” Hikaru enthused.

Kyoya and Rene were trailing behind the three, smiling at Haruhi’s exasperation with the twins. Rene looked in a shop window and stopped in this tracks. “Hey, Haruhi?” Rene called tentatively.

She stopped and turned around to look at him. “Yes Rene?”

“May I buy you a graduation present?” He turned his puppy dog eyes towards her.

Hesitating, Haruhi responded warily, “What do you have in mind?”

Rene pointed to the luggage shop. “The twins have been buying you clothes, but you only brought the one suitcase.”

“True,” Haruhi allowed. “I planned to buy some luggage while on this trip.”

“Can I buy it for you? Please?”

Taking a deep breath, she looked at Kyoya, who just smirked at her. “Okay, Rene. Let’s take a look at what’s available.”

Rene held the door for the other four as they entered the luggage shop. Haruhi looked around and immediately saw steamer trunks in one corner. “These look interesting. They lock and, sitting on one end like this, are just the right height to be a nightstand by my bed. There would be plenty of room for books and a lamp.” Running her fingers over the brass clasps, latches, and hinges, she mused, “Very well constructed.”

A haughty-looking salesclerk walked up and said, “Good day. Are you interested in purchasing a wardrobe trunk?”

“Wardrobe trunk?” she asked, hoping for clarification.

“Yes, please let me show you the features. This is one of our most popular models.” He deftly flipped the clasp and latches and opened the trunk to reveal drawers on one side and suspended hangers on the other side.

“Wow. That is ingenious. Even better than what I hoped to find. I had anticipated purchasing a trunk and then getting storage containers be able to utilize the space efficiently.”

Rene examined the trunk and his face lit up. “This would be wonderful for traveling. You wouldn’t have to unpack and pack every time you changed locations.”

That phrase, ‘change locations,’ caught Hikaru and Kaoru’s attention where they were examining train cases and garment bags nearby. “That would be useful for photo shoots,” Hikaru said, poking around in the trunk.

“Do they come in larger sizes?” Kaoru asked.

“But of course,” the salesclerk responded with a smile. “If you will follow me.” He led them through a door into a showroom that appeared to be full of huge boxes on wheels. He gently pulled forward a six-foot tall box that was about four feet wide and two-and-a-half feet deep. Then he opened two wings to display a central hanger compartment long enough to accommodate gowns surrounded by drawers. The wings each had two hanger compartments that would easily handle shirts, coats, pants, and ties.

Hikaru examined the drawer. “These would be perfect to hold all the accessories.”

Kaoru examined the hanger compartments. “These racks even fold out so you can get something from the back without having to remove everything in front of it.”

They exchanged a glance and said in unison, “We have to have these.”

Kaoru said, “No more rolling racks, garment bags, shoe trunks, accessory bags, and train cases for make-up. Everything in one lockable place.”

“And just think how one of these would make going to cosplay conventions easier?” Hikaru mused.

The salesclerk smiled. “What color do you want?”

“How many colors are available?” Kaoru asked.

“Four.”

“We’ll take one of each,” Hikaru stated. “Can you make arrangements to ship them to Japan for us?”

The salesclerk schooled the startled look from his face. “We can do that. If you’ll follow me.”

While the twins were busy with their purchase, the other three continued to look around at the available offerings.

“See anything you like?” Rene asked hopefully.

“I really like that wardrobe steamer trunk I first looked at. It’s versatile and practical.”

Another salesclerk approached. “May I help you?”

“Certainly,” Rene beamed. “I’d like to purchase this trunk.” He led the salesclerk to the one Haruhi wanted.

While Rene was busy with his purchase, Kyoya said, “Haruhi, will you allow me to buy you a graduation gift?”

She looked puzzled. “I thought this trip was my graduation gift.”

He smiled. “This was just meant to be a family trip with our significant others along.”

“Okay. Do you have something particular in mind?” she asked him curiously.

Beckoning for her to follow him, he went to the opposite corner from the trunks. “I would like to buy you a locking security case. I know Takashi gave you a briefcase for your birthday last year, but I would feel better if I knew you had someplace secure for important documents.”

She looked over the array of cases and finally settled on a metal case with both combination and key locks. “This looks like it should be secure.”

By the time they left the luggage shop, the four young men also purchased wardrobe trunks for themselves. Except for the four large travel trunks, their purchases would be delivered to Kyoya’s London house by the end of the day.

“Now, let’s get shopping so we can fill those trunks up,” Hikaru called.

“Don’t forget to leave room for our shopping in Paris,” Kaoru reminded him.

“We can always buy more trunks.”

Shaking her head, Haruhi muttered, “What have I gotten myself into?”

Kyoya wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her temple. “You’ve gotten yourself involved in the Hinan family hi-jinks,” he teased.

Looking at the young men surrounding her, she whispered, “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

<OHSHC>

It took the entire security force from Kyoya’s house to create the perimeter around the Knightsbridge Memorial to enforce privacy, or at least safety, for the twins. The memorial’s regular security was no match for the screaming hordes of fangirls.

“Sometimes I hate my job,” the memorial’s head of security muttered as he examined the official document granting Hikaru and Kaoru two hours of exclusive time. “All these rich people throwing their weight around so they can rub everyone’s noses in their fame.”

Kyoya’s head of security scowled. His voice was hard as he stated, “Fame is not the reason for this exclusive time. This is the first opportunities those young men have had to visit the site of their parents’ demise and get closure.”

“What do you mean? There is no one named Hinan on that memorial. I’ve memorized every name.”

“Hinan is their adopted name. Can you imagine what would have happened to orphaned minors of a rich family? They would have been taken advantage of and left destitute if their parents had not had the foresight to arrange for contingencies.”

“Who were their parents?”

“The Hitachiins.”

“My sincerest apologies. The past two days have been a nightmare dealing with a pair of fashion design divas fighting over an up-and-coming designer that they both want as an intern. It would serve them right if she rejects both of them.” He chuckled mirthlessly.

While the security heads were working out logistics, Hikaru and Kaoru were waiting in the transport surrounded by their friends. The twins clung to each other as they watched the screaming crowds. Kyoya and Haruhi exchanged glances before they moved to either side and wrapped arms around the pair.

Kaoru sighed and leaned into Kyoya’s side. “Thanks, otou-san. Okaa-san.”

Hikaru clung to Kaoru with one arm while wrapping the other around Haruhi and burying his face in her neck. “I don’t know what we’d do without all of you.”

Rene, Takashi, and Mitsukuni each reached over and patted their knees. “Don’t worry. Your brothers are here for you,” Rene said gently. The others nodded in agreement.

“In some ways, this just doesn’t seem like the place we lost our parents. It’s so…clean and tidy. There’s a disconnect between this…” He gestured to the immaculate courtyard surrounding the monoliths engraved with the names of the victims of the bombing. He shook his head, unable to continue.

Kaoru picked up his brother’s thoughts. “Given the violence that ended the lives of our parents and so many others, this place is kind of surreal. They’ve cleared away everything the spoke to the tragedy, leaving this sanitized façade. It’s almost like they were trying to make it appear inconsequential so everyone would forget as soon as possible.”

Softly, Haruhi asked, “Do you think you’ll be able to find the closure here that you need?”

The twins exchanged a look and a shrug before murmuring, “We don’t know.”

Everyone was startled as Kyoya’s head of security opened the door. “We are ready for you now.”

Rene stepped out first and then turned to face those remaining. “I will go first. Kyoya, you and Haruhi will follow, flanking Hikaru and Kaoru. Mitsukuni, you and Reiko will follow behind Kyoya. Takashi, you and Chiharu will follow Haruhi.”

“Aye, Aye, Tono,” the twins responded in unison, attempting to lighten the mood. They were thankful their dramatic brother was trying to make this visit emotionally manageable.

Reiko and Chiharu carried the flower wreaths that Hikaru and Kaoru had designed to lay on the memorial. “ _I wish I could have designed a permanent wreath for the memorial, but it would probably just get stolen_ ,” Kaoru mused sadly.

Haruhi considered the distance they had to travel to the memorial for the Hitachiins as well as the sentiments they had expressed in the transport. _“I think I’ll suggest that we create a memorial at Hinansho. That way Ageha, Kaoru, and Hikaru won’t have to travel nearly halfway around the world to honor their parents.”_

The screaming crowds of fangirls went wild as soon as they caught sight of Hikaru and Kaoru. Most of the shouting consisted of the same things they’d heard at the airport. There were a lot of nasty remarks aimed at Haruhi because she had her arm around Hikaru.

“Just ignore them,” he said sullenly.

“Ignore who?” Haruhi asked with a chuckle. “Did you hear something?”

An almost hysterical giggle escaped as he replied, “Thanks. I needed that.”

“Happy to oblige.” She kissed his temple and ignored the screeches from the fangirls who vehemently protested her familiarity.

When they reached the memorial, Rene stepped aside and gestured to a clear path for Hikaru and Kaoru. Before advancing, they turned to retrieve the wreaths from Reiko and Chiharu. As the twins stepped forward, the others stepped back to form a semi-circle, hiding them from the crowd as best they could.

Haruhi remained vigilant as both security forces were kept busy blocking attempts by the fangirls to breach the perimeter and get to the twins. Off to one side, she noticed a different tableau. Two young women wearing daypacks were earnestly talking to the head of memorial security, gesturing animatedly. They seemed more focused on the memorial than the people in front of it. Tapping Reiko’s shoulder, she gestured ‘Follow me.’

As Haruhi and Reiko approached the trio, Haruhi realized that the young ladies were speaking French, not English. “Reiko, would you get Rene? I don’t think my French is quite good enough for this conversation.”

“Of course, I’ll be right back.”

After speaking to the head of security in English, she greeted the two in heavily accented French. “If you will wait just a moment, we have someone coming who is fluent in French and can help us.”

The girls looked at each other and sighed in relief. 

Rene jogged up. “Reiko said you needed my help?”

“We need your French. As much as you’ve worked with me, I fear my French is still too heavily accented to carry on a productive conversation in a tense situation.”

Rene turned to the young ladies and bowed. “My name is Rene Hinan. How may I assist you?”

The taller one stepped forward and said, “My name is Estee Beringar and this is my sister, Coco. Our parents were Hugh and Aline Beringar and they were killed in this bombing. We just graduated and we wanted to pay a visit to our parents.”

“Would it be possible for you to wait?” Rene asked.

“No. We live in Paris and were only just able to come. There are obligations that demand our attention, but we needed to visit our parents first. I don’t know when we’ll have the opportunity again.” Estee wrung her hands nervously and looked at her feet.

Rene looked to Haruhi and raised an eyebrow. “I see no reason they can’t come pay their respects right now as well. The only reason we arranged the exclusive viewing was the disruptive attention of the fangirls. These two just want the same thing that Hikaru and Kaoru do.”

“You mean the Hitachiin twins are here?” Coco asked urgently, stepping forward.

Rene and Haruhi swiveled to look at her suspiciously.

“Forgive me,” she murmured. “Our parents were working for their parents that day. We had hoped to someday offer our condolences to them.”

Exchanging another look, Haruhi and Rene decided that they believed the young ladies’ story.

“Please, join us,” Rene said gently, offering one elbow to Estee and the other to Coco. Haruhi followed them back, shaking her head and smiling softly. “ _Once a host, always a host_ ,“ she thought.

The cacophony from the crowd increased as the quartet joined those who remained at the memorial. Some of the shouts were rather crass and vulgar.

“Just ignore them,” Rene whispered to the ladies on his arms. “They have no manners whatsoever.” Then he led them right up to the memorial.

Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, Hikaru looked up to see who dared intrude. He had been lost in memories of the good times with his parents and it aggravated him to be pulled out of them. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the two lovely young women led by Rene. It was obvious that they were sisters, though probably not twins. The taller had dark chestnut hair and a lithe build. The other had lighter, almost honey-colored hair and was petite.

Hearing his brother’s small gasp, Kaoru turned to see what was wrong and found there was no problem, but a pair of beauties. “ _Who are they? What are they doing here? How did they get past security and the others?”_ The questions whirled in Kaoru’s mind, making him lightheaded.

Hikaru and Kaoru watched as Estee and Coco placed their hands near the names ‘Hugh and Aline Beringar’ and leaned against each other for support. Unashamed, tears ran down their faces as they grieved their loss.

Unconsciously, Hikaru and Kaoru moved to mirrored their posture, placing their hands near the names ‘Yuzuha and Akihiro Hitachiin.

Quietly Haruhi spoke to Kyoya. “I think we should invite them home with us. They may need us just as much as Hikaru and Kaoru do. Estee told me their parents were working for the Hitachiins that day.”

“Aren’t you becoming the little mother hen,” he purred. His tone turned serious. “But I do agree with you. I would like to hear their story and I think it would be a comfort to the twins as well.”

“With Rene’s assistance, I’ll extend the invitation.”

A few minutes later, Estee and Coco emerged from their grief. Exchanging a look, they stepped up behind Hikaru and Kaoru, wrapping them in a hug. “Our condolences on the loss of your parents,” they whispered in unison.

Hikaru and Kaoru turned around and drew the young ladies into their arms and replied, “Our condolences to you as well.”

Taking a step away from each other, they exchanged glances. Estee finally broke the silence. “Thank you for allowing us to interrupt your time with your parents so we could honor ours.”

Hikaru reached for her hand and kissed the back of it softly. “It was no interruption. It was shared sorrow and grief, therefore a burden halved. Thank you for allowing us the privilege.”

Coco touched Estee’s shoulder and whispered, “We need to find a youth hostel with space for the night.”

Haruhi had enlisted Rene’s help and they were about to extend the dinner invitation when Kaoru said, “Please join us for a memorial dinner to honor all of our parents.”

Sadly, Estee shook her head. “We still need to find space at a youth hostel for tonight and we return to Paris tomorrow.”

The twins turned in tandem to Kyoya, who was already nodding and smiling. “I suggested to Haruhi earlier that we should invite them home with us. We have plenty of room for them to stay the night as well.”

Hikaru looked at Estee with puppy dog eyes. “You can stay with us tonight. Kyoya’s house has plenty of room. Please have dinner with us. We’d love to hear more about you and your parents.”

Coco looked a little uneasy at the suggestion until Kaoru turned his puppy dog eyes on her. She giggled quietly. “I think I can handle it.”

“If you’re sure,” Estee replied, looking for any signs of distress.

“They’ve all been so kind. I’ll be fine. I don’t feel like I’m about to have a panic attack.”

Smiling, Estee wrapped an arm around Coco. “As long as you’re sure.”

Appearing behind the twins, Rene’s face lit up. “Thank you for granting us the gift of your presence. Please allow me to introduce you to the rest of our merry band."

Throwing his arms around Hikaru and Kaoru, he said, “These two little devils you already know. Though I should tell you that their last name is now Hinan. Their parents made arrangements for a trusted family to adopt them in the event of just such a catastrophe.”

Next, he stepped over to the pair standing close by. “This is Kyoya Hinan, one of our adopted brothers, and his significant other, Haruhi Fujioka.”

They stepped aside so Rene could continue introductions. “This is Mitsukuni Hinan, another adopted brother, and his significant other Reiko Kanazuki.”

Coco’s face lit with a smile. “You used to compete in karate and judo as Mitsukuni Haninozuka, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did. But I was asked to retire from competition to give others an opportunity. I still do training, demonstrations, and exhibitions on occasion.”

“I sense there are a lot of stories here if we find time for the telling,” Estee surmised.

“Indeed,” Kyoya said with a smile.

“To complete the introductions, this is our other adopted brother, Takashi Hinan and his significant other Chiharu Tojo,” Rene finished.

“You won a kendo tournament in December as Takashi Hinan, but you used to compete as Takashi Morinozuka, right?” Coco said, clapping her hands together in glee.

Takashi smiled. “That’s correct. But how did you know?”

Estee laughed. “Uncle Adam got her hooked. One of his assignments was at a world martial arts exhibition. He brought back videos and Coco was hooked. She watches karate, judo, kendo, and kyudo matches as often as she can.”

“It appears we have a LOT of stories to exchange. Why don’t we get going so we have plenty of time?” Haruhi gestured toward the waiting transport.

The group was chatting amiably when suddenly two fangirls crawled out from under the transport and made lunges for Hikaru and Kaoru. Takashi grabbed one and Mitsukuni the other. Both heads of security teams hurried over to take custody of the attackers.

“I apologize for letting them get through,” Kyoya’s head of security stated. “Their friends were milling about on the other side of the transport and covered their movements as they crawled underneath.”

Kyoya scowled at the two fangirls who were yelling at him. “I cannot blame you for their persistence and deceptions. I do not understand most of the words they are spewing, but I surmise that they are colorful expletives.”

“You are correct, sir.” He secured one of the assailants with zip ties as the memorial’s head of security did the same to the other. “What are your orders?” he asked once his prisoner was restrained.

“Have them charged with harassment and attempted assault-and-battery. It may not carry much of a penalty, but it might make them think twice in the future.”

While Kyoya was dealing with the matter, the remainder of the group climbed into the transport. The head of security stated, “We’ll take care of this. Your security detail will follow as soon as you are safely off-site.”

Nodding in acknowledgement, Kyoya climbed in and the head of security closed the door. He patted the side of the vehicle to alert the driver that all passengers were aboard. The transport headed out on a pre-determined circuitous route back to the house, designed to foil any attempts to follow them.

During the trip, the group tried to put the Beringars at ease by talking about their trip to England, beginning with Reiko’s plants and her course of study at University. That led to the others talking about their interests, University majors, and future plans.

When they arrived, the housekeeper met them at the door. “Dinner will be served in an hour. Would you like tea in the living room while you wait?”

“Yes, please,” Kyoya replied, gesturing for the group to precede him into the living room. Estee and Coco sat together on the sofa. Takashi and Chiharu settled on the loveseat while Mitsukuni and Reiko took the settee. Kyoya and Haruhi took their places in the armchairs facing the sofa.

“We’ll be right back,” Hikaru and Kaoru chorused, as Rene looked around in confusion trying to decide where he should sit.

Before anyone had time to wonder what the twins were up to, they were back carrying several pillows. They threw one to Rene, tossed a couple in the corner, and put two on the floor at Haruhi’s feet.

Comprehension dawned and Rene yelled, “Hey, that’s not fair. Why can’t I sit at okaa-san’s feet?”

“You snooze, you lose,” Hikaru taunted.

“There’s plenty of floor for everyone,” Haruhi chastised teasingly.

Rene huffed in disappointment. Then a devious look crossed his face. He took his pillow across the room and placed it on the floor between Estee and Coco’s feet.

Hikaru and Kaoru were both confused by a stab of jealousy they each felt at seeing Rene sitting so close to Estee and Coco. “ _What was that about?”_ Hikaru thought. “ _Does that mean something?_ ” Kaoru questioned.

“You’re right, okaa-san. There is plenty of floor for everyone,” Rene said smugly. “And sitting here, I can help with any translations or clarifications.”

Estee tapped on Rene’s shoulder. “What is this ‘okaa-san’ that you call Haruhi?”

Rene blushed. “It’s kind of like mère in French. She’s not really our mother, but our mother-figure.” He launched into a condensed version of the creation of the Hinan family in rapid French. The rest of the room followed as best they could, watching their visitors’ expressions with interest.

“There are times you may hear us call Kyoya ‘otou-san.’ It’s kind of like père in French. Like Haruhi, he’s not really our father, but he does take care of us. In fact, most of the security at the memorial today was actually his force.” Rene finished his explanation with a smile. “Do you have any questions?”

“Is that type of thing normal in Japan?” Coco asked.

Haruhi laughed. “No. And there’s nothing ‘normal’ about our situation, but we make it work for us.”

Estee’s expression turned serious. “I do have a question. What happened to Ageha? I didn’t see her name on the memorial, but I know she was there at fashion week.”

“How did you know she was there?” Hikaru asked anxiously. “Were you there, too?”

“No, but there were pictures of her on the memory cards found among our parents’ belongings left at our Uncle Adam’s apartment. They were staying with him instead of a hotel because Father didn’t get to see his brother very often. Uncle Adam works for the government and he travels a lot.”

“To answer your question, Ageha is fine. Her grief counselor didn’t think she was ready to come back to London. She stays at Hinansho with Kyoya’s sister and her family. They have a girl her age and a boy who’s a few years older,” Kaoru explained.

“I’m really glad she’s okay,” Estee sighed with relief. “It’s good to have bright spots like that in the midst of such a tragedy.”

“So, have you two been living with your Uncle Adam?” Hikaru inquired.

Coco paled and sidled closer to her sister. Estee’s expression darkened as she wrapped an arm around Coco. “No.” She shook her head. “Because Uncle Adam’s job required him to travel so much, he was not allowed to take custody of us. We had no choice but to live with our mother’s younger sister Yvette in Paris.”

Leaning toward the sisters, Chiharu said compassionately, “That sounds like you had a rough time.”

“Aunt Yvette was always jealous of our mother. She even thought Father should have fallen in love with her instead. She wanted the best of everything, but she didn’t want to put in the necessary effort. The time since our parents’ deaths has been difficult as we finished up school and dealt with Aunt Yvette’s tirades and laziness.”

Coco blurted out, “We had to do all the chores and even had part-time jobs to pay for things like food, clothes, and school supplies. Aunt Yvette spent all of our parents’ savings on herself within the first six months.”

The Hosts, Reiko, and Chiharu all left their seats and gathered around the sisters. There were no words to express their sympathies so they just wrapped them in a group hug.

After the group hug receded, Rene retrieved the pillows the twins had tossed aside and Haruhi left the room for a few minutes, returning with an armload of pillows. “Why don’t we all move to the floor?” she suggested.

Takashi and Mitsukuni rearranged the furniture to make room. Then everyone settled on the pillows, as close together as they could.

“Tell us a little about your parents,” Kyoya prompted.

Estee thought for a moment. “Well, our father was Hugh Beringar. He was born here in England and he had one brother, Adam. Father started modeling at a very young age—about six, I think. He enjoyed the play acting and attention, as well as the money. However, that’s not what he wanted to do for a career. He wanted to design computer games.”

Coco continued their tale. “Our mother, Aline Seward, was born in France. She had an older brother, Edmond, and a younger sister, Yvette. Mother was fascinated by photography. She started working as a photographer’s assistant when she was thirteen.”

“That’s kind of young to start,” Kaoru commented.

“It was, but the photographer was a friend of the family who needed help and she had already been teaching Mother the basics of photography,” Coco responded. “Of course, you’re one to talk. You’ve been designing since you were, what—three years old?”

Kaoru blushed. “That was a fluke. The nanny called in sick and there was no way Mother could re-schedule the premiere photo shoot for her new line, so she took us along. We naturally helped with the accessories. The photographer and models were intrigued by our choices and the fact they all complemented the outfits perfectly. Things turned out so well, that Mother continued to ask for our help and eventually used us as models, too.”

“And now you’re designing outfits and accessorizing them as well as modeling,” Estee noted.

“Guilty as charged,” the twins chorused.

“So how did your parents meet?” Reiko asked.

Estee and Coco exchanged a look and started to chuckle. Estee said, “They met at University. Father was taking graphic design and computer programming classes. Mother was taking art classes. He paid his way through University with modeling jobs. They met when Father was the nude model for one of Mother’s art classes.”

“That sounds like an interesting story,” Chiharu commented. “Who made the first move?”

Coco laughed. “It was actually another girl in the class that was the catalyst. Mother was focused on her career and, growing up in Paris, nude models were a regular fact of life. However, this other girl fancied Father and thought Mother was making a play for him. When the instructor praised our Mother’s sketch of Father, the other girl got jealous and attacked Mother.”

Estee continued the tale. “Father, still in his state of undress, came to Mother’s rescue and proclaimed her his girlfriend—in front to the entire class. Later, in private, Mother slapped him for being so presumptuous. They eventually worked things out and married after graduating from University.”

The housekeeper appeared in the doorway. “Dinner is served.”

“Well, it looks like we need to move this party to the dining room,” Mitsukuni said, standing up and helping Reiko to her feet. They helped each other up and followed the housekeeper.

Once everyone’s dinner had been served, Haruhi said, “You mentioned at the memorial that you’d just graduated. Hikaru, Kaoru, and I just graduated as well. Are you twins?”

Estee shrugged. “There are those who call us Irish Twins because we were born less than a year apart. It’s considered a derogatory term, but we ignore it. We would have been more than a year apart, but Mother was in a car accident when she was pregnant with Coco. The injuries resulted in her going into labor and Coco was born six weeks early.”

Coco added, “My birthday was the day before the cut-off date for school and Estee’s birthday was three days after, so we started school together. I have a couple health issues from my premature birth, but nothing debilitating.”

Wanting to move away from what seemed to be a touchy topic, Rene said, “At the memorial, you mentioned obligations that required your attention. What are your plans for the future?”

“Thanks to Aunt Yvette, we need to find jobs and a place to live,” Estee grumbled. “Since we’ve graduated, she’s kicking us out next week. On top of that, she somehow got her hands on the educational accounts that our parents set up for us to attend University. Everything is gone.”

Coco scowled. “It took her less than eighteen months to spend everything our parents have been saving for the past eighteen years.”

“Can’t you live with your mother’s brother, Edmond?” Reiko asked.

“He died in a plane crash about ten years ago. That’s the reason we had to live with her.” Estee sighed in exasperation. “We went to Uncle Adam’s flat before we went to the memorial, but his landlady said he was out of country for at least the next six months.”

“What were you thinking about for University?” Haruhi asked.

Coco answered, “I wanted to go into graphic design and marketing. Estee wants to be a photographer like our mother. Not much chance of that in the near future.”

Haruhi cast a glance at Kyoya, who returned it with a contemplative look. Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a silent conversation and then stood up as one.

“Kyoya, could we speak to you outside for a moment?” Hikaru ventured conspiratorially.

“Of course.” He quirked an eyebrow at the request.

As the three left the dining room, Rene felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Reaching up and rubbing his neck to smooth the hairs, he said in a tentative voice, “Did anyone else get chills down their spine from the Shadow King and Devil Twins plotting together?”

The others in the room chuckled and Rene looked peeved. “What? You know what kinds of plans they come up with separately. Can you imagine what havoc they can wreak together?”

Haruhi laughed. “I’m sure it will be fine, Rene.”

“Are you sure? How do you know they’re not planning something to get back at Estee and Coco’s Aunt Yvette?” Rene slumped in his chair and wrapped his arms around himself.

“Really, Rene. They don’t have enough information right now to do any plotting or planning,” Haruhi assured him. “Maybe after we get to Paris, but not right now.”

“Do you really think they would do something to her?” Estee asked anxiously.

Haruhi smiled at her. “No, not really. And definitely not without your approval and permission. However, the Hinan family does have a reputation in Japan of opposing corruption.”

“I doubt they could get much out of her. She’s already spent all the money,” Coco mused. “They couldn’t even do anything to her reputation that she hasn’t already done herself.”

Meanwhile, out in the hall, Kyoya asked, “I take it you two would like the Hinan family to help them out?”

“Sort of, but not quite,“ Kaoru started.

“We wanted to know if Hitachiin Fashions could do something for them,” Hikaru continued.

“Their parents were working for the company at the time of their death,” Kaoru clarified. “It’s only right that we should help them out.”

Kyoya smiled and patted their shoulders. “I am proud of you two, thinking of others like that. I’m sure your fashion house could provide them with scholarships and living stipends to attend University.”

The twins relaxed. “Great. We thought about contacting Mr. Naruse, but he probably wouldn’t take too kindly to being woken up at three in the morning,” Hikaru said.

“Good choice. I’ll send him an email after dinner and have him get started on the paperwork and logistics after he gets to his office in the morning.”

“Let’s wait until we hear back from Mr. Naruse before we discuss it with the Beringars, okay?” Hikaru confirmed.

“Sound reasoning. They may need the cheering up in Paris if their aunt is anything like they’ve portrayed,” Kyoya agreed. “For now, we should return to the dining room and finish our dinner.”

When the three stepped into the dining room, Mitsukuni called, “So, have you finished finalizing your plans to take over the world?”

Kyoya chuckled. “Not quite yet, but soon—very soon world domination will be within my grasp.”

“Just remember to clean up after yourself,” Takashi admonished, pointing to their dinner dishes left on the table after everyone else had moved theirs to the sideboard.

“Yes, master,” the twins lisped while walking with exaggerated limps to clear the table.

“Enough of your nonsense for tonight,” Haruhi admonished, as everyone stood around waiting to see what was next. “I was thinking that we’ve interrogated Estee and Coco, so it’s their turn to ask us questions. Shall we had back to the living room?”

Coco tried hard to hide a yawn. Estee looked at her and said, “It’s been a long, eventful day. I think we’re ready for some sleep.”

The other around the table looked to Haruhi. She nodded and said, “You can ask us questions on the train tomorrow. Speaking of which, we have to get up early tomorrow to prepare for the trip to Paris, so we should all head to bed.” Looking pensive, she continued, “We planned to all sleep together in one room tonight. Would you like to join us?”

Estee wrapped an arm around Coco and asked tentatively, “I know we French are reputed to be very liberal…”

“No, no,” Haruhi said, putting her hands up. “Nothing…risqué. We just cuddle together for comfort. Nothing happens—just sleep, maybe a little talking.”

“It really is quite innocent,” Chiharu assured them. “I was a little unsure at first, but it is very comforting to know you’re not alone.”

Reiko added, “It’s okay if you don’t want to join us. It just seemed rude to exclude you when you’ve had an emotionally draining day. Like the twins have.” She nodded to Hikaru and Kaoru.

“Please, can we?” Coco whispered. “If I’m between you and Haruhi, it should be okay.”

Estee looked at her sister with a serious expression. “Okay, but let me know if you feel a panic attack starting.”

“I will,” Coco promised.

“Yah! That’s all settled,” Mitsukuni cheered.

While the others headed off to get ready, Haruhi showed Estee and Coco the room where they would all be sleeping. The master bedroom had all the furniture pushed up against the walls and the floor was covered in a wide assortment of pillows and blankets.

“You can use this bathroom to get ready for bed,” Haruhi said, gesturing to the master bath. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

When Haruhi returned, she found most of them tossing pillows around and ‘arguing’ about who was going to sleep where.

Kyoya was ignoring their antics as he arranged several pillows in a corner and settled himself comfortably. “Your place is ready, Haruhi,” he called.

She walked across the room, dodging pillows and settled in the place he prepared for her. “Coco, do you want to be on my right of left?”

“I think the left would work better,” she responded as she made her way over and situated herself, using Haruhi’s thigh as a pillow. Estee slipped in behind her and pulled a blanket over them both.

Rene curled up by Kyoya’s right side, Kaoru settled his head on Haruhi’s right thigh, and Hikaru settle behind Estee.

Mitsukuni and Reiko were setting up their nest of pillows and blankets next to Kaoru when Haruhi said, “Would you turn on the lamp on the nightstand? That way Takashi can turn off the overhead light now.”

“Good thinking,” Mitsukuni replied as he turned on the lamp.

Takashi left the nest he and Chiharu had been arranging next to Hikaru and turned off the light.

“Now let’s get settled,” Kyoya directed, before he nuzzled Haruhi’s neck and kissed her ear.

“Yes, otou-san,” was the responding chorus.

When it quieted down and everyone appeared to be settled, Haruhi said, “Mitsukuni, you can turn the lamp off now.”

“Yes, okaa-san,” he teased as he did. “Good night everyone.”


	23. Facing the Past - Paris Edition, Part 1

Something jostled Haruhi and she opened her eyes slowly, trying to get her bearings. “ _That’s right. We’re all sleeping together. I hope Coco and Estee are doing okay. I wonder what woke me?”_

Looking down, she realized that Coco was no longer using her left thigh as a pillow. Apparently, Coco had rolled over Haruhi’s legs and was now nestled snuggly in Kaoru’s arms. Haruhi turned her head and found Estee with her back to Hikaru’s chest and his arms wrapped around her waist in a comforting embrace. All four had peaceful smiles on their faces. 

“ _I’m glad they’ve found comfort in each other_ ,” Haruhi thought as she looked around to check on the others. Chiharu was cradled gently in Takashi’s strong arms. Mitsukuni and Reiko were tangled like a pair of vines. Rene was sprawled off to her and Kyoya’s right, with his feet next to her hip.

Carefully she pulled out her phone and took pictures of each of the couples. “ _These are too cute to pass up._ ”

She was just about to settle back into sleep when she heard Rene whimper. Laying a hand on his ankle, Haruhi whispered, “Shhh. I’m right here.” At the sound of her voice, he relaxed with a sigh of either relief or contentment and sank back into sound sleep.

“ _They’re all safe and happy_ ,” she thought as she drifted back to sleep entwined in Kyoya’s arms.

<OHSHC>

Dawn peeked through the partially open curtains, waking Estee with the light on her face. As she shifted to move away from the sunbeam, she realized that she was not alone—and it was not her sister with her. She started to panic, thinking one of Aunt Yvette’s lovers had invaded their bedroom again after being dissatisfied or turned away by her aunt. The arms tighten gently around her and she heard soft shushing sounds and endearments in…was that Japanese?

She relaxed as memories of the previous day came flooding back. Meeting the Hitachiin twins at the memorial. Dinner with the Hinan family. Sleeping all together for comfort. Reassured, she moved deeper into the embrace. “ _I’m safe here in Hikaru’s arms_ ,” was her last thought as she sank back into sleep.

<OHSHC>

Coco’s heart was pounding as she woke up completely disoriented. “ _Where am I? Where’s Estee? Whose arms are wrapped around me? Not another one of Aunt Yvette’s lovers! Please, please, please, not that!!!”_

Kaoru felt Coco shaking before she started flailing her arms and uttering inarticulate cries. “Shh, Coco, it’s okay. I’m right here.”

The heavily accented French confused Coco. “ _It can’t be one of Aunt Yvette’s lovers. She hates foreigners. Think, think, think. Where am I?”_ She pushed at the arms holding her and the grip loosened.

Shifting to a sitting position, Kaoru released Coco from the circle of his arms but kept one hand on her knee. “It’s okay. See, Estee is right over there. Nothing is going to happen.”

Hearing Coco’s rapid, short breaths, Kaoru realized that she was having a panic attack. “Here. Breathe with me. Hee-hee-hoo, hee-hee-hoo. That’s right. A little slower now.”

Gradually Coco’s breathing slowed and her trembling stopped. She smiled at him shakily. “Thanks. I’m sorry I woke you.”

“Hey, it’s fine. Why don’t we head down to the living room to talk so we don’t wake everyone else?”

“I don’t want to worry Estee.”

“I’ll leave a note so they know we haven’t eloped or run off with the gypsies.” He grinned as her giggle signaled a break in the tension.

Kaoru took a piece of paper from the desk and wrote ‘Kaoru and Coco are in the living room’ before he folded it in half so it would stand up and be easily noticed.

Picking up a spare blanket from the bed, Kaoru offered Coco his elbow and escorted her down the stairs. In the living room, he asked, “Shall we sit on the sofa? It’s so much less suggestive than the loveseat.”

“Okay,” Coco replied as she settled on one end of the sofa. Kaoru arranged the blanket over her and then sat down at the other end of the sofa. He slipped his feet under the blanket and nudged her foot with his toe.

“Feeling better?”

Taking a deep breath, Coco thought about it for moment before she responded, “Yeah. I’m okay now.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” His expression was concerned, not pushy or demanding.

Coco shrugged. “I forgot where I was. Memories of some…unpleasant episodes at Aunt Yvette’s apartment came back and I panicked.”

Kaoru could hear the fear and pain in Coco’s voice. He nudged her foot again. “Well, this definitely is not Aunt Yvette’s. Do you want me to go see about some tea?”

“No! Please don’t leave me alone!” Coco crawled down the sofa and into Kaoru’s lap. He wrapped the blanket around the two of them and started rubbing her back.

“I won’t leave if you don’t want me to. It’s okay. Just relax.”

Embarrassed, Coco hid her face in the crook of Kaoru’s neck. “I only met you yesterday, but I trust you. Please just hold me.”

He stroked her hair gently and whispered, “Why don’t you try to get a little more sleep? I’ll stay right here with you.” He placed a kiss on the top of her head and settled down to sleep again himself.

<OHSHC>

Estee was frantic when she woke up. “Where’s Coco? What happened to her? I have to find her!”

Haruhi looked around for the cause of Estee’s distress, noticing that Kaoru was missing as well. Then she saw the note propped up on the desk. “It’s okay.” She pointed to the desk. “She and Kaoru just went down to the living room.”

Sighing in relief, Estee took several deep breaths. “I know I shouldn’t worry so much, but she’s my baby sister and all I have left.”

Haruhi patted her shoulder. “It’s perfectly understandable. Even though all of them are adults and most of them are older than me, if one of the guys was missing, I’d worry too.”

Mitsukuni disentangled himself from Reiko, yawned, and mumbled, “I’m hungry. When’s breakfast?”

Kyoya put on his glasses and looked at the time on his phone. “It’s probably waiting for us in the dining room since it’s already seven o’clock.”

Rene popped up from where he was lounging beside Kyoya and Haruhi. “What time do we need to leave to catch the Eurostar to Paris?”

“The tickets are for the ten o’clock departure so the transport will be leaving the house at nine so we can make it through Customs. We should have plenty of time for breakfast and packing if no one dawdles,” Kyoya stated.

Rene perked up. “That means we’ll be in Paris at lunch time. That’s perfect since I want to go straight to Tom and Sabine’s bakery first to ask them about my mother. We can get lunch while we’re there. You’ll love their quiche.”

“Mmm, I love their quiche. Their macarons are amazing, too,” Estee added. “Those are just two of the reasons they’re considered the best bakery in Paris.”

Haruhi stood up. “Okay, so we have lunch decided. How about we all go get dressed so we can have breakfast first?”

“I’ll go down and get Kaoru and Coco,” Hikaru offered.

Noticing the smirk he was trying to hide, Haruhi intercepted him and pointed him towards his room. “You go get dressed. I will go get them. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t think Kaoru needs to be teased right now.”

“Yes, okaa-san,” Hikaru pouted as he headed to the bathroom.

Estee watched him go. “You handled that well. Do you have younger siblings?”

Haruhi smiled sadly. “No, I’m an only child. I’ll tell you my story during breakfast.”

Kyoya slipped up behind Haruhi and hugged her gently, kissing the top of her head. “For now you need to go get Kaoru and Coco while the rest of us get ready. Then you three get ready and we’ll see you in the dining room.”

Turning in his arms, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him. “Sounds like a plan.”

“It’s not world domination, but it will have to do for now.”

The others laughed as they headed to their bedrooms and bathrooms to get ready for the day.

<OHSHC>

As the group was finishing breakfast, the head of security approached Kyoya. “Sir, if I could get everyone’s documents, I can get the Customs process started and arrange an appointment to expedite your departure.”

“Thank you for your efficiency.” There was a twinkling in his eye when he teased, “Or are you just trying to get rid of us because we’ve been so high maintenance.”

Chuckling, he replied, “On the contrary, we have enjoyed having all of you here. However, I also realize that Master Rene is anxious to locate his mother as soon as possible. We wish you the best of luck on the remainder of your trip.”

“I commend you on the good job you are doing here. Thank you for all your hard work. Please pass my thanks along to the rest of the staff.” Kyoya stood and turned to the others. “If everyone is finished, we should get our documents together and then get packing.”

“Aye, Aye,” the twins chorused, tossing him a sloppy salute before heading out the door.

Estee and Coco exchanged a look and Coco whispered, “Those two are a lot of fun. I’m glad we met them.”

“They do tend to grow on you,” Haruhi confided quietly. “I didn’t know what to make of them when I first met them. They lived in a world all their own.”

Mitsukuni interjected, “In a way, Takashi and I did as well. Our families had been intertwined for generations. Rene brought our worlds together in the Host Club, but Haruhi opened our worlds to the wider world around us.”

“That explains why you are all so fond of her,” Estee responded.

“Okay, we can tell more stories on the train. Right now, we get our documents and pack,” Kyoya reminded everyone.

“Let’s meet in the living room,” Reiko suggested as she headed out the door.

“Okay,” everyone else chorused.

<OHSHC>

Estee and Coco shrank from the frowns leveled at them by the people waiting in the line for Customs. “You need to wait your turn like everyone else,” a particularly belligerent man barked. 

Kyoya donned his best Shadow King scowl and pointed to a sign. “If you had used the expedited service they offer and made an appointment as we did, you wouldn’t be standing in line. It pays to plan ahead.” With that parting remark, he followed the others as the Custom’s officer led them through to the boarding platform for the Eurostar.

“Thank you for your patience when your appointment was delayed,” the Custom’s officer said. “Please enjoy your trip.”

The group called their thanks as they boarded the Eurostar and found their seats. Checking the time, Mitsukuni said, “Well, we have about two and a half hours until we reach Paris. How should we spend the time?”

“We were promised stories,” Coco reminded them, clapping her hands in glee. “Who’s going first?”

<OHSHC>

**“Fifteen minutes to Gare du Nord station in Paris.”**

The announcement over the public address system caught everyone’s attention. “It’s been over two hours already?” Estee asked in bemusement.

“I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun,” Coco teased. “That trip felt like it took forever yesterday when we headed to London.”

“So, did you pick up some good traveling companions in London?” Kaoru teased.

Coco reached over and poked him in the ribs and squealed in delight as he made a grab for her.

Haruhi saw the look on concern on Kyoya’s face and glanced over at Rene. Noticing he had paled and gone quiet after the announcement, she asked quietly, “You okay?”

Acting as if he didn’t hear her, Rene stared out the window, though there was really nothing to see.

She nudged his knee and said, “Come on. Let’s take a little walk to the Café Métropole.”

“We’ll be eating at Tom and Sabine’s…” Rene began.

“It’s not for the food, it’s for the walk. And a private talk if you need it.” She stood and pulled him to his feet. Wrapping an arm around him, she guided him in the direction of the Café. Once they arrived, she sat him at a table and went to purchase two bottles of water.

When she returned, she handed one bottle to him and opened her own. “What has you worried now that we’re so close? Are you afraid to find that she’s already died?”

Rene rubbed the bottle back and forth between his hands. “Actually, I have a feeling that she has died. I had a long talk with the doctor after my test results showed I had the same condition as she did. He told me I probably wouldn’t reach thirty and mother was already in her thirties when I last saw her.” He opened the bottle of water and took a long drink.

Haruhi waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts and continue. She sipped her water and watched the emotions cascade across his face.

“I think I’m more scared…worried that I won’t be able to find out what happened to her. It’s been five years and I’ve had no contact. If her own family doesn’t know where she is, how am I supposed to locate her?” Tears glistened in the corners of his eyes.

Patting his hand comfortingly, Haruhi said, “You have all of us to help you and we have time before we need to return for the beginning of University classes. And never doubt the information sources of your brother, Kyoya.”

Rene took a deep breath and then finished his water. Disposing of the bottle in the proper recycling receptacle, he replied, “Thanks, I needed that. Let’s get back to the others and get ready to head to Tom and Sabine’s.”

As they walked back to their seats, Rene told Haruhi a little about Tom and Sabine. “Remember I told you about my friends Marinette and Nino? Tom and Sabine are Marinette’s parents. Maybe she’ll be at the bakery and I can introduce all of you.”

“About time you two showed up,” Hikaru teased.

“We were beginning to think that you would try to leave without us,” Kaoru added.

Kyoya looked at Haruhi with a raised eyebrow. She smiled and nodded in return as she slipped back into her seat next to him. Rene headed to his seat to collect his belonging and repack them in his satchel.

After the Eurostar pulled into the station at Gare du Nord, Kyoya stood up to get everyone’s attention. “Let’s wait for most of the passengers to disembark before we exit, that way we can all leave together. My Paris security chief should be waiting with our transport.” He returned to his seat

Their group remained seated as the other passengers hurried by. There were several groups that were pointing at Hikaru and Kaoru. “I didn’t know the Hitachiins were in town.” “I heard they took over their parents’ fashion house.” “Maybe they’re in Paris looking for new talent—photographers, models, or interns. Let’s update our resumes and check the message boards.”

As the group disembarked, Hikaru and Kaoru remained at the back of their group, looking around cautiously. Hikaru whispered to Estee, “Do you think we’ll get mobbed here like we did in London?”

Estee thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Not like in London. There will probably be less of a fuss here because you can’t swing a cat without hitting someone involved in the fashion industry in some way, shape, or form.”

“That’s not a very nice thing to do to a cat,” Coco teased. “But it does graphically express the sentiment.”

The twins breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed as they followed the rest of the group. While Kyoya spoked to his Paris security chief, Mitsukuni and Takashi helped stow the luggage in the cargo area of the transport.

After they were all settled and belted in, the driver asked, “Where to?”

Kyoya looked to Rene. “Please take us to 12 Rue Gotlib,” Rene directed.

“Oh, you want to go to the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. Very good, sir.” He started the transport and skillfully merged into traffic.

“You weren’t kidding when you said it was popular,” Haruhi commented to Estee and Coco.

Fifteen minutes later, the transport pulled up at their destination and everyone climbed out. Kyoya instructed the driver, “Please take the luggage to the house. I will call when we need you.”

The driver nodded in acknowledgement and then pulled away before the other drivers waiting to drop off passengers could get impatient.

Rene looked up the bakery’s façade in awe. “Except for the new ‘T & S’ logo, it hasn’t changed a bit in the five years I’ve been gone.” Slowly he pulled himself out of his reverie and pushed the door open, holding it for everyone else to enter.

“Welcome to Tom and Sabine’s. How may I help you?” Sabine asked before turning around to see who had entered. “Estee. Coco. Your aunt was in yesterday and again this morning looking for you.”

Estee rolled her eyes. “We went to the memorial in London. We left a note on the refrigerator where she couldn’t miss it.”

Coco remarked, “I’m more convinced than ever that she can’t read. And that just explains SO much.”

Noticing the others, Sabine was about to ask if they were friends of Estee and Coco when she spotted Rene and paled. She immediately moved from behind the counter to wrap him in a hug, crying, “Rene. It’s you. It’s really you. You’re alive!”

Before anyone could react, she turned her head toward the kitchen and called, “Tom, come out here. You won’t believe this!”

Tom walked through the door from the kitchen wiping his hands on his apron and saying, “What’s all th…” Seeing Rene, Tom pulled him into a bear hug. 

After a minute with no sign of Tom letting go, Rene wheezed, “Need to breathe.”

When Tom didn’t respond or take notice, Rene cast a look of appeal at Takashi.

Smiling, Takashi plucked Rene from Tom’s grip and set him on his feet. “Déjà vu?”

Rene immediately turned to Haruhi, got down on one knee, took her hand, and murmured, “I apologize for all those times I hugged you and didn’t let go when you said you couldn’t breathe. Now I know why you called for Takashi’s assistance.”

“I’m glad you understand now.” She helped him to his feet and ruffled his hair, much like Takashi usually did to her.

Tom looked sheepish. “Sorry. I just got so excited. When the charges were filed last week, we were sure we’d never see or hear from you again.”

An expression of confusion settled on Rene’s face. “Wait. What charges?” he asked.

Sabine and Tom exchanged a glance before Sabine explained, “The lawyer for your mother’s estate has filed suit against Shizue Suoh, her chauffeur, and security guard for wrongful death and conspiracy to commit murder in your disappearance. I think she mentioned that the Tokyo police have also filed charges against Shizue for evidence tampering.”

“My mother’s estate?” Rene gasped, looking stricken.

Kyoya and Haruhi stepped forward and wrapped their arms around Rene, supporting him as he collapsed in grief.

“ _I thought I could handle it. I thought I was ready for the news that she was gone, but I’m not_ ,” Rene admitted to himself as sobs wracked his body.

All the others gathered around, offering their comfort and support as they mourned with their friend and brother.

Kyoya looked to Sabine and asked simply, “When?”

Sadly, she responded, “The same day as the Knightsbridge bombing in London.” Tom and Sabine joined the group hug around Rene, offering their condolences as well.

Taking a deep breath and a firmer hold on his brother, Kyoya said softly, “Rene needs some time to process this. Would you please join us for dinner this evening?”

“What is the address and when to you want us there?” Tom asked as Sabine’s voice failed her because of her tears.

“I will send a car for you at whatever time would be most convenient for you. I realized you have a business to run,” Kyoya replied.

“We’ll be ready at eight o’clock,” Tom stated.

“Thank you. I will make all the arrangements.” Kyoya pulled out his phone and called for the transport. As soon as arrangement were complete, he closed the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. 

A few minutes later, the transport pulled up in front of the bakery. The group surrounding Rene slowly dissolved until only Kyoya and Haruhi were supporting Rene. Takashi stepped forward and picked up the blond.

“If you would get in first,” Takashi directed Haruhi, “I’ll put him next to you and then Kyoya can get in.”

Before climbing into the vehicle, Haruhi turned to Tom and Sabine. “It was a pleasure to meet you both. I look forward to talking more tonight over dinner.”

As Haruhi situated herself, Hikaru said, “Hey, Takashi, someone might get the impression that you have a thing for blonds.”

Kaoru interjected, “That might be the case if it weren’t for the two brunettes he likes to carry around as well,” casting a look between Haruhi and Chiharu.

Estee smiled and shook her head at the twins’ antics. Addressing Tom and Sabine, she said “Pay them no mind. They are a very close family and tease each other to show their affection.”

“How did you meet Rene and his friends?” Sabine asked.

“Actually, they’re family. We met in London at the Knightsbridge memorial. The two teasing the tall one are…well, were the Hitachiin brothers. All the young men were adopted by the Hinan family for one reason or another,” Estee explained.

Seeing that everyone else is already settled in the transport, Coco interrupted, “Maybe we should wait until dinner tonight to tell all the stories.”

Sabine hugged the two young ladies and said, “You’re right. This can wait. You go with your friends. Don’t forget to call your aunt.”

Estee and Coco both cringed at the mention of their aunt. “We will,” they chorused solemnly before hurrying to the transport where the others were waiting for them.

On the way to Kyoya’s Paris house, Estee asked, “Could you drop us off at our aunt’s?”

Hikaru and Kaoru both yelled, “No!”

Reiko looked at the pair sternly. “You two have no say in their lives. It is up to them.”

“But you haven’t heard the stories about her aunt and the things that have happened to them at her apartment,” Kaoru protested.

Reiko looked to the Beringars. “What do you want to do?”

After exchanging a look with Coco, Estee spoke up, “We really don’t want to go back there but we need to get the rest of our things. Aunt Yvette doesn’t know that we overheard her plans to kick us out next week. We hoped to find a place before that happened.”

“You are welcome at my Paris house,” Kyoya interrupted. Raising an eyebrow at Hikaru and Kaoru, he continued, “We will be in Paris for at least a week. Maybe we can help you examine your options for the future while we’re here.”

Sighing in relief, Estee said, “You don’t know how much that means to us. Thank you.”

“For today, I think Hikaru and Kaoru should accompany you to your aunt’s apartment,” Kyoya stated.

“I’m coming too,” Takashi stated firmly.

“Me too,” Mitsukuni added.

“Don’t forget us,” Reiko and Chiharu chorused.

“Just let us drop you and Haruhi off at the house to comfort Rene and we’ll go take care of business with the Beringars,” Hikaru stated, wrapping his arm around Estee.

“Very well. Just behave yourselves,” Kyoya admonished.

“We will,” the six accompanying the Beringars said in unison. 

“I can’t vouch for Aunt Yvette,” Coco muttered.

“Then that’s her problem,” Kyoya acknowledged.

Haruhi started to snicker and everyone looked at her. “I just think it’s funny that you all are wearing your ‘Classic Blunder’ shirts.”

The transport pulled up in front of Kyoya’s house. Kyoya and Takashi climbed out. “I’ll be right back as soon as I take Rene in,” Takashi stated as he lifted Rene from Haruhi’s embrace.

“What are these shirts?” Coco asked, looking at Kaoru’s.

He grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “We’ll explain on the way to your aunt’s apartment.”

After Takashi returned, Estee gave the drive the address of her aunt’s apartment. “Okay, what’s the deal with the shirts,” she prompted.

Mitsukuni spoke up. “Are you familiar with the American movie ‘The Princess Bride’?”

Coco squealed, “I love that movie!”

“So you remember the scene where Vizzini and the Dread Pirate Roberts are matching wits over the poison?” Mitsukuni continued, pulling out his phone and typing rapidly.

“Yes?” Estee confirmed tentatively.

“Well, what the shirts say in Japanese, roughly translates to ‘Avoid the Classic Blunders--Never get involved in a land war in Asia; Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line; and Never, ever cross the Hinans when family is at stake.’ It was something I said when we left the Hitachiin estate after Hikaru and Kaoru parents were killed. Rene got all of us these shirts for Christmas as a reminder that we look out for each other.”

Hikaru held his phone out. “These are photos from the Halloween cosplay the Host Club did before our parents were killed. Kaoru and I made the costumes.”

Estee and Coco looked through the phots. “Those costumes are pretty impressive,” Estee commented as she handed the phone back.

Kaoru spoke up. “Do you think your aunt will recognize us?”

“Hardly,” Coco huffed. “She’s not into fashion. She prefers car races—or should I say race car drivers. She’s more likely to watch Le Mans or a Grand Prix than a fashion show.”

Takashi asked, “How widely known is the Hinan family in France? Paris, in particular.”

Kaoru used his phone to run a search. “We should be okay. The only mention of ‘Hinan’ is the press release Hitachiin Fashions provided to the standard fashion magazines—Elle, GQ, Vogue, Marie Claire, Allure, InStyle, Essence, and Harper’s BAZAAR—about our adoptions by the Hinan family. It appears no other news outlets picked up the story.”

“Then we shouldn’t have to worry about Aunt Yvette trying to exploit the relationship of Estee and Coco to the Hinan family,” Mitsukuni stated firmly.

“Good to know,” Estee said. “She may hate foreigners, but she loves money.”

Aunt Yvette was just leaving her apartment when the transport pulled up and Estee and Coco climbed out. “Where have you two been?” she shrieked. “There’s been nothing to eat since yesterday and the apartment is a mess.”

When she saw Reiko, Chiharu, and the four Hinan brothers follow the Beringars out of the transport, she ranted, “You’ve been out slumming with foreigners like the little tramps you are!” Pointing to the apartment, she growled, “Get in there and clean it up. Then get some groceries. I should have known you’d be shirking your responsibilities to go whoring.”

Reiko stepped up beside Estee and said coldly, “Estee and Coco are only here to pick up their things. After today, they won’t be bothering you.”

Chiharu planted herself by Coco’s side and the men formed a wall behind them.

“Who do you think you are, giving me orders?” demanded Yvette. Eying the four young men with distaste, she continued, “Are these the pimps or the johns my nieces have attached themselves to?”

Reiko could tell the men did not understand the colloquialisms being used, but she did and her expression turned stormy. “I’d advise you very strongly to watch your language. You will stand aside while Estee and Coco gather their belongings.”

Yvette stepped forward and raise a hand to strike Reiko, but Mitsukuni was faster and grabbed her arm. She tried to pull away, but his grip, though not painfully tight, could not be escaped.

Looking at Reiko, Mitsukuni said in Japanese, “I take it that the words we can’t understand are colorful expletives and derogatory language?”

“Correct,” Reiko replied through clenched teeth.

Chiharu nudged Coco’s shoulder and gestured to Estee. “Let’s go get your things packed and loaded into the transport. Then we can get you both out of here.”

Estee and Coco led the way into the apartment while Takashi, Chiharu, Hikaru, and Kaoru followed.

Hikaru asked, “Based on Reiko’s reaction, your aunt said some pretty nasty things to and about you, didn’t she?”

Estee shrugged. “Nothing we haven’t heard before.”

Kaoru scowled. “I don’t like her or the way she treats you. Will you allow me to ask Kyoya to have his security investigate her?”

“I doubt it will do any good. Like I said before, she’s spent all the money and ruined her own reputation,” Coco replied off-handedly.

“It will make me feel better,” Kaoru asserted gently.

“Be my guest.”

“Then while you’re collecting your things and packing, I’ll send a message to Kyoya and have him get started.”

The Beringars didn’t have a lot to pack, aside from their small wardrobes. Most of their possessions had been destroyed or sold by their aunt during the eighteen months they had lived with her.

As they were retrieving some keepsakes from very obscure hiding places, Kaoru asked, “Are there any documents or records from your parents or their estate that you can bring?”

Estee held up a small portfolio she’d just pulled from behind a hidden panel. “All the legal and banking documents we have are in here.”

“Good. Those may prove very useful in Kyoya’s investigation,” Kaoru said with a smirk as he sent another text.

Fifteen minutes later, all of Estee and Coco’s possessions were stowed in the cargo area of the transport.

“Where do you thieves think you’re going?” Yvette demanded, making a grab for Estee and Coco. 

Takashi and Mitsukuni block her path and Mitsukuni growled, “Don’t you touch them.”

After the others were settled in the vehicle, Takashi and Mitsukuni joined them and signaled the driver to leave.

They ignored Yvette who stood screaming at them as they drove away.

<OHSHC>

That evening when Tom and Sabine arrived for dinner, Sabine had a message for Rene. “I called Catherine Touren-Grosseau this afternoon. She is the lawyer for your mother’s estate. I arranged an appointment for you tomorrow morning at eight o’clock. Since that will be four o’clock in the afternoon Tokyo time, it will allow for contact with the Tokyo police if the need arises.”

Rene pulled her into a tight hug and whispered, “Thank you. I can’t express how much it means to me that I can get closure about my mother.”

Patting him affectionately, she replied, “Glad we could help.”

Pulling back, Rene looked around and announced, “Let’s go eat dinner. There are so many stories to tell.”


	24. Facing the Past - Paris Edition, Part 2

Rene anxiously paced the dining room. It was barely five o’clock in the morning, so he didn’t dare wake the others, especially Kyoya or Mitsukuni. “ _Come to think of it, no one has tried waking Mitsukuni up early since the tumor was removed_. _I wonder if he would still be as volatile.”_

He considered the experiment for a few minutes before deciding, “ _I think I’ll wait until after I find out about my mother before taking my life into my hands just to satisfy my curiosity. Maybe I could trick the twins into waking him sometime_ _and see what happens_.”

Wandering down the hall, Rene decided to explore the library. He looked over the shelves, not seeking anything in particular, when he came across a bound copy of the thesis by Pierre Janet on disassociation and traumatic memory. _“I remember the professor mentioned this study during his lecture on the development of trauma intervention and grief counseling. I’ll just peruse it while I wait for everyone else_.” He turned on the reading lamp, settled into the armchair, and immersed himself in the academic treatise.

<OHSHC>

As they enjoyed breakfast together in the dining room, Rene kept looking at the clock while tearing his croissant into smaller and smaller pieces.

Finally, Haruhi reached over and took his hand. “Are you nervous?”

Rene looked at her in confusion. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I want to know about my mother, but I guess I’m a little afraid as well.”

Mitsukuni looked up at Rene with sympathy. “Would you like us to come with you?”

“I don’t know how big the lawyer’s office is. There may not be room for all of us,” Rene replied, his shoulders sagging.

Takashi looked around the room. “Maybe it would be best if Kyoya and Haruhi accompany you. The rest of us can help Estee and Coco get settled.”

Rene brightened. “That’s a great idea, Takashi.” He turned his puppy dog eyes toward the pair and asked excitedly, “Would you come with me otou-san and okaa-san?”

Kyoya smiled. “Of course, we’ll accompany you.” He checked the time and continued, “We should probably leave in the next ten minutes.”

<OHSHC>

Rene clung to Kyoya and Haruhi as they walked up the steps to Catherine Touren-Grosseau’s law office. He had spent the entire trip over babbling incoherently to himself. Haruhi held his hand and tried to distract him from his fear-laced mind theater, but to no avail.

When they entered the office, Kyoya left Rene in Haruhi’s care and approached the secretary. “Good morning. Sabine Cheng made an appointment for eight o’clock this morning, but I forgot to ask what name she made it under.”

“Good morning. Mm. Cheng made that appointment for Rene de Grantaine. Are you he?” she responded politely.

“No. The gentleman over there is Rene. I am Kyoya Hinan and this is my significant other, Haruhi Fujioka. Rene was a bit nervous, so he asked us to accompany him.”

“I will inform Mlle. Touren-Grosseau that you have arrived. Please have a seat.” She stood up, gestured to the sofa, and entered a door at the rear of the office.

Settling Rene on the sofa and sitting down next to him, Haruhi asked thoughtfully, “What if they ask for identification? All of Rene’s documentation is for ‘Rene Hinan,’ not ‘Rene de Grantaine’.”

Rene stirred from his position trying to burrow into her side. “I brought these with me,” he whispered, pulling out a small portfolio. Inside were copies of his birth certificate, his Ouran school records, the reports from the extensive medical tests the previous summer, and his adoption documents.

“Well done, Rene,” Kyoya praised. “These follow an unbroken chain from Rene de Grantaine through Tamaki Suoh to Rene Hinan. Very thorough.”

The secretary returned, followed by another woman. “Good morning, I am Catherine Touren-Grosseau. I hope you don’t mind, but there will be several people joining us in the meeting today. Please follow me.”

She led them down the hall to a conference room where a French police inspector was waiting. “Please allow me to begin the introductions. As I said, I am Catherine Touren-Grosseau. I am the lawyer retained by Anne-Sophia de Grantaine shortly before her death to locate her son, Rene.”

Rene shook slightly at the mention of his mother and her death. He looked at the floor for a moment before taking a deep breath. He lifted his eyes, straightened his back, and held his head high, as if preparing to enter the battlefield.

Watching his reaction to the news of his mother’s death, Catherine paused to allow him to gather himself. When he straightened, she continued the introductions. “This is Inspector Jean-Paul Touren-Grosseau of the French police. Incidentally, he is also my brother. I requested his help when a number of…inconsistencies occurred in my search.”

Rene bowed slightly and spoke in a formal tone. “I am Rene Hinan. I was born Rene Tamaki Richard de Grantaine. When I was taken to Japan by my father, I was known as Tamaki Suoh. Events last year necessitated my adoption by the Hinan family and I became Rene Richard de Grantaine Hinan.”

He stopped for a moment to take a breath and collect his thoughts. “This is my adopted brother, Kyoya Hinan. The young lady is his significant other, Haruhi Fujioka. We all attended Ouran High School together.”

The inspector stepped forward. “Do you have identification that I can examine?”

“Of course,” they all replied, handing over their passports and identification cards. In addition, Rene handed his portfolio to the inspector.

“Please, have a seat,” Catherine directed, waving to the chairs around the conference table.

As Haruhi settled in the chair next to Rene, she contemplated the conference room. _“It’s a good thing everyone didn’t come. We never would have fit. There’s only room for eight and there are five of us here already._ ”

Laying the documents on the table, Jean-Paul pulled out his notebook and jotted down the relevant facts that he would need later to file his report. “Everything appears to be in order,” he noted as he returned the passports and identification cards. He continued to examine the documents in the portfolio while the others continued the conversation.

“Please allow me to play devil’s advocate for a moment,” Kyoya spoke up. “How can you be sure that this is actually Rene de Grantaine, and not some imposter who merely looks like him and stole his credentials?”

Catherine smiled. “Good point, but that is why there will be several other people joining us for this meeting. While I respect Sabine Cheng and her opinion that this is Anne-Sophie’s son, Rene, it has been five years since she saw him last.”

“And who are these people?” Haruhi asked, watching the lawyer with interest.

“One is the head of the household where Anne-Sophie lived out the remainder of her life,” Catherine explained.

“I get to talk to someone who knew my mother?” Rene asked excitedly. “Will they tell me how she was and what she did?” Now that they were here and discussing his mother, he was almost bouncing in excitement at the idea of finding out how her life had been after he left. He sobered at that thought. “ _I’m the one who left. I deserted her. What must she have thought of me?”_

Kyoya noticed the shift in Rene’s mood and placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly to ground him. “ _It’s no wonder he’s back to the whiplash mood swings with all the emotional upheaval he’s been through.”_

There was a knock on the door and Catherine called, “Yes?”

The secretary opened the door slightly and said, “M. and Mlle. Houshakuji have arrived. Shall I bring them in?”

“Yes, Amelie. Please bring them in,” Catherine responded as she surreptitiously watched the expressions of the three young people sitting at the conference table. The three exchanged a glance and smiles, though Haruhi’s was tinged with...apprehension. “ _I wonder what that’s about?”_

As soon as the door opened the trio stood. Haruhi stepped slightly behind Kyoya and Rene. “ _If I’m right, Mlle. Houshakuji is Renge. She left Ouran before my gender was revealed last Christmas. This could get interesting_ ,” her thoughts whirled chaotically as she looked down at what she was wearing. It was an indigo t-shirt dress with two layers of ruffles on the skirt and looked undeniably feminine.

  1. Houshakuji entered first and bowed. “Thank you for allowing us to attend this meeting.”



Kyoya stood and bowed respectfully. “Houshakuji-sama, it is a pleasure to see you again. It has been three years since your last trip to Japan.”

“Kyoya, my boy. It is so good to see you. Alas, I have not had dealings with your family of late. I trust all is well?” Reynard considered him expectantly.

A look of chagrin crossed Kyoya’s face. “That is a topic for another time because much has happened since our last meeting.”

“Just so. I hope you and your companions will join my daughter and I for dinner this evening,” Reynard offered.

“We can discuss the possibility after the conclusion of this meeting.” Kyoya answered smoothly.

Just then Renge entered with a flourish. “I was just showing Amelie my new cosplay outfit. It’s based on the girls’ uniform for Ouran Academy in Japan. I’m working on a computer game based on my experiences there.” When she saw the three young people in the conference room, she squealed, “Kyoya! Tamaki! Oh my? Is that Haruhi?” Her eyes widened in astonishment.

“Hello, Renge,” Haruhi said tentatively and waved awkwardly, watching the comical expression on the other young woman’s face.

“But…but…but,” Renge stuttered. “You’re wearing a dress.” She paused and shook her head, as if to re-settle thoughts into their proper places. “Well, that just explains soooo much. No wonder you were so good at baking cookies and Tamaki always referred to you as his ‘daughter’ and insisted you cover up at the water resort. It also explains why you never succumbed to my charms, no matter how hard I tried. It wasn’t that you were oblivious, you just weren’t interested. Huh, how did I miss that?”

Catherine and Jean-Paul exchanged a look of confusion because the entire conversation between the young women had taken place in Japanese.

Reynard looked from his daughter to Haruhi and then questioningly at Kyoya. “Maybe we should get together for lunch rather than dinner. I get the impression there are a LOT of stories to be told.”

“Truer words were never spoken,” Kyoya agreed shaking his head in consternation.

Amelie, who had slipped in behind Renge, announced, “I have the video link with Inspector Mitsunari Yoshinaga of the Tokyo police department set up.”

Jean-Paul addressed the video image, “Good morning—well, afternoon for you. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with us.”

Inspector Yoshinaga bowed and replied, “When you said you had new information in the case, how could I not make time? My interview with Shizue Suoh last week was less than satisfactory.”

Rene shuddered slightly at his grandmother’s name.

Catherine took control of the meeting once again. “I hope you don’t mind if we conduct these proceedings in French to make them transparent for everyone. If everyone except Rene will take a seat, we can get on with the purpose of this meeting, which is actually twofold. The first is to establish that this is in fact Anne-Sophie de Grantaine’s son. If he is, then I can finally fulfill the final instructions in Anne-Sophie’s last testament.”

Inspector Yoshinaga interrupted, “Inspector Touren-Grosseau, would you please point out everyone for me?”

“But of course. Let’s begin here at what should be the lower left corner of your screen. This is Amelie, Catherine’s secretary. Next to her is my sister, Catherine. She is the lawyer for Anne-Sophie de Grantaine’s estate. Beside her is Reynard Houshakuji and his daughter, Renge. Standing is Rene Hinan. He was formerly Tamaki Suoh, nee Rene Tamaki Richard de Grantaine, the missing son. With him are his adopted brother, Kyoya Hinan and Kyoya’s significant other, Haruhi Fujioka. Apparently Renge, Rene, Kyoya, and Haruhi were all classmates at Ouran Academy several years ago.”

When Kyoya was introduce, both Reynard and Renge turned to look at him in astonishment. _“Adopted? Hinan? What’s been going on?”_ they both thought.

Catherine waved Rene closer to the video camera and said, “Inspector, according to his documents, this is the young man we’ve been looking for. We have also had several witnesses confirm his identity here in France, not all of whom are in this room. Unless there is a serious case of collusion, the evidence overwhelmingly identifies him as the one I have been trying to locate for the past eighteen months.”

Looking at Rene intently through the video conference link, the inspector asked, “Have you been in France this whole time?”

“No, sir. I just arrived in Paris yesterday on the Eurostar. Last week I was in England. Before that I was at Tokyo University working on my first-year studies toward a degree in psychology,” Rene responded.

“Then how is it that we have been unable to locate you? Your father thought you were at University rooming with your best friend. Mlle. Touren-Grosseau reported that when she called the best friend, she was informed that Tamaki Suoh had not shown up. Your grandmother finally confessed that she had her chauffeur take you to the airport to send you to France.”

Kyoya spoke up, “I was the best friend that Mlle. Touren-Grosseau spoke to. I apologize for being circumspect when you called. Given how devious Shizue can be and what she had just done to Rene, we were all very protective.”

Rene looked sheepish. “I should probably explain the circumstances that made it seem like I disappeared.” He proceeded to outline the events of the day that began with his grandmother’s chauffeur taking him to the airport and placing him under guard and ended with changing his name and being adopted by the Hinan family. “You can talk to Misaki Danno, the court clerk. He was the one who processed the paperwork for my adoption.”

Inspector Yoshinaga pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “The Hinan family again? Interesting how many times they’ve shown up on my radar in the past two and a half years.”

Haruhi blushed, scooted her chair closer to Kyoya’s, and buried her face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her protectively. Renge watched them with surprise…and a twinge of jealousy.

Lifting her head to face the monitor, Haruhi began, “It was never my intention to cause trouble…” before the Inspector interrupted her.

“The Hinan family has been far from trouble. They’ve been exposing crimes and corruption while making the world a better place with good paying jobs and affordable services. It just so happens that their involvement tends to start ripples that lead to the most interesting revelations and a whole lot of paperwork. Case in point, Cormorant Construction. We’re still working our way through that can of worms. I was just kicking myself for not thinking of contacting Hinansho about the whereabouts of Tamaki Suoh. That would have saved us all at least six months.”

“Not to mention avoiding filing charges,” Jean-Paul interjected.

“That brings us to the second issue of this meeting, the suits and charges,” Catherine noted. “Those grew out of the obstacles I encountered during the search which led me to question whether Anne-Sophie’s son was still alive.”

“Well, the wrongful death suit will be dropped since he is quite obviously still alive,” Inspector Yoshinaga allowed, “but the evidence tampering will remain. There is no doubt that Tamaki Suoh’s records were deliberately deleted from the medical databases as well as the educational ones. We’ll have to re-evaluate the conspiracy charges, though most likely they’ll be dropped due to lack of evidence. Although there was definitely a conspiracy, there’s no way to prove what Shizue, the chauffeur, and the security guard were planning.”

Catherine smiled. “It looks like we’ve wrapped up everything satisfactorily. That just leaves delivering Anne-Sophie’s legacy to Rene. I want to thank you all for your help with this.”

Before Inspector Yoshinaga signed off the video connection, he said, “Jean-Paul, please send me a copy of your report. I will send you a copy of mine as well. Rene, I would like you to contact me when you return to Japan. I want to be sure everything in this case is fully documented.”

Rene bowed respectfully. “It would be my pleasure. Perhaps you could come to Hinansho and meet the entire Hinan family.”

“I look forward to it,” the inspector replied before closing the connection.

Jean-Paul stood and addressed the group, “I need to take my leave to finish my report on this matter. I wish you all the best.”

Then Catherine stood and said, “If you’ll wait here, I will retrieve Rene’s legacy.”

Renge opened and closed her mouth several times before any words finally tumbled out. “I have sooo many questions that I don’t know where to start. When did…”

Reynard laid a hand on his daughter’s arm. “I think the questions and stories can wait until after lunch.”

“Speaking of lunch,” Kyoya inserted smoothly, “There are several other members of our party that did not accompany us this morning.”

“Do you mean that Honey-sempai, Mori-sempai, and the twins are in Paris too?” Renge asked excitedly, clapping her hands.

Haruhi laughed at her exuberance. “Yes, Renge, the whole Host Club is here.”  
  


Before Renge could ask any more questions, Catherine returned with a small cedar box about twelve inches wide, eight inches long, and four inches deep. She handed it to Rene along with an envelope. “The keys are in the envelope, along with a copy of her testament.”

Rene took it reverently and placed it on the conference table in front of him. He looked up at her and asked, “Did you know my mother well?”

“I wish I did, but I only met her about six months before she died. Sabine Cheng referred her to me when she decided she wanted to see her son again, despite all the embarrassment she had caused for everyone,” Catherine said sadly. “She was one of the sweetest people I ever met.”

There were a few moments silence as Rene absorbed her words. “That’s very kind of you.”

“Unfortunately, I have another appointment in fifteen minutes, but feel free to use the conference room as long as you need.” Catherine smiled reassuringly before she let the room, followed by Amelie.

Reynard spoke up, “Rene, I don’t know if anyone has told you, but she worked for the Tonnerres as a housekeeper after she recovered from her illness. That was about six months after you went to Japan. About a year and a half ago, the Tonnerres suddenly dismissed her. She was too embarrassed to return to her family estate, so she came to live with me. When you all come to lunch today, you can talk to some of the people who were there during your mother’s final days.”

Rene’s voice was choked with emotion as he whispered, “Thank you.” He took a deep breath and opened the envelope. After pulling out the testament, he dumped the keys into his hand. “I think I’ll save this to read later,” he said, laying aside the testament.

Haruhi walked up behind him and rubbed his back lightly as he pulled the box close and fit a key to the lock. Pausing and closing his eyes before lifting the lid, he whispered, “I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”

Kyoya spoke softly, “I think you’ve been waiting for this since I met you. Although your grandmother disapproved of you talking about your mother, I could tell that you missed her and constantly second-guessed your decision to leave her. Maybe this holds the answers you’ve been looking for.” He placed a reassuring hand on Rene’s shoulder.

Rene dropped the key onto the table and opened the lid. The first thing he saw when he lifted the lid was an envelope marked ‘Read First’ in elegant handwriting. His hands trembled as he opened the flap and pulled out the letter. His eyes darted back and forth across the page, getting glassier and glassier with tears the further he read.

Sensing that Rene was going to stand up, Haruhi moved to give him space. When he stood, he thrust the letter at Kyoya, then wrapped his arms around Haruhi, burying his face in her neck, and sobbing plaintively, murmuring, “Okaa-san.”

Haruhi looked to Kyoya as he quickly absorbed the contents of the letter. When he finished, he folded it and replaced it in its envelope. “Perhaps it would be best if we take Rene back to my house for a bit,” Kyoya announced, standing up. “He needs a little time to come to terms with all the revelations of this morning.”

Reynard responded, “That would probably be best. I shall send a car for you at one o’clock.”

“Will it be able to accommodate eleven?” Kyoya asked.

“I will send my larger limousine so there should be plenty of room,” Reynard assured him.

Renge popped out of her reverie. “Wait! What? Eleven? There were only seven in the Host Club.”

“We’ll explain it at lunch, Renge,” Haruhi stated with a smirk as she continued to hold Rene and rub his back.

“May we give you a ride home?” Reynard offered.

“That would be much appreciated since it would eliminate the wait for my car,” Kyoya responded with a respectful bow. Turning to Rene, he asked, “Shall I replace the letter and lock the box?”

Rene didn’t raise his head but nodded into Haruhi’s shoulder. “Yes, and please carry the box for me,” he whispered. “Suddenly I just feel so drained.”

“I am honored to be entrusted with your legacy.” Kyoya placed the letter and testament in the box and locked it. He slipped the key into Rene’s pocket before picking up the box and carrying it respectfully.

Reynard gesture to the door and they all filed out of the conference room in silence. Minutes later, they were in the car on the way to Kyoya’s house.

During the ride, Renge watched Haruhi, Rene, and Kyoya closely. “ _I thought Kyoya and Haruhi were in a relationship from the way they were acting. There’s something going on among the three of them but I can’t quite figure it out. I have so many questions. I will absolutely burst if I can’t get them all answered at lunch. I hope I can wait that long.”_

When they pulled up in front of Kyoya’s house, Reynard said, “I will send the car at one. We look forward to all the stories you have to tell.”

Haruhi nodded in acknowledgement as she helped Rene out of the car.

“Thank you for your hospitality. We look forward to it as well,” Kyoya replied before he climbed out carrying Rene’s legacy.

The housekeeper was waiting for them just inside the door. “That didn’t take long. It’s only just coming up on nine o’clock. The others asked me to inform you that they went back up to rest. Apparently, the confrontation with the Beringars’ aunt was rather draining.”

“Thank you. This morning took a lot out of Rene as well, so we’ll join them in a minute. We will be having lunch with the Houshakujis and they will be sending a car for us at one. Please alert us at twelve-thirty so we can freshen up,” Kyoya instructed.

Haruhi helped Rene up the stairs and to the bedroom. Kyoya followed with the box. When they opened the door, everyone looked in their direction.

Seeing how exhausted Rene looked, Hikaru and Kaoru started arranging pillows in the middle so he would be surrounded by everyone.

Kyoya placed the box on the table. Before settling down to relax, he explained, “We’ve been invited to the Houshakuji’s for lunch. They will send a limousine at one o’clock to pick us up.”

Mitsukuni and Takashi exchanged a glance before Mitsukuni asked, “Houshakuji as in Renge?”

“Yes,” Haruhi replied. “And she will probably have lots of questions so rest up because you know how she can be.”

Reiko commented, “I’ve heard about her. I’m not sure if I met her while she was at Ouran.”

“I don’t recall the name,” Chiharu added.

The twins exchanged a look and a shudder. “If you had met her, you would most definitely remember.”

Estee and Coco looked uncomfortable. “Will we be staying here?”

Haruhi smiled. “No, you are invited as well. Renge’s harmless, just rather intense. Right Rene?” When there was no response, she turned to look at him and found he was sound asleep. She smoothed a tangle of hair on his forehead. “He had a very emotional morning. I’m glad to see that he’s getting some rest. Let’s join him.”

“Capital idea,” the twins said quietly as everyone arranged themselves comfortably on the pillows.

<OHSHC>

Renge could barely contain herself. “ _I can’t wait to ask them what’s been happening the past two and a half years. If Haruhi has always been a girl, did she reveal that at Ouran or wait until after she graduated? If she hasn’t, what does Yoshio think about ‘her’ relationship with Kyoya? Wait, maybe that’s why Kyoya’s last name is Hinan now.”_

She was pacing the entrance like a cage lion when the limousine pulled up and the group climbed out. First were Kyoya, Haruhi, and Rene. Since she had seen them just a few hours ago, they didn’t hold her attention. Next was one of the Hitachiin twins. “ _Is that Hikaru or Kaoru? I never could tell them apart. However did Haruhi do it?_ ”

She expected the other twin to be next, but it was a young lady who was definitely not Japanese. “ _Well, there appear to be even more stories than I anticipated,_ ” Renge thought as Hikaru and Estee walked over to stand with the first three. 

Next Kaoru exited the vehicle and helped Coco out. “ _Looks like the Hitachiin twins have fallen for sisters, if not another set of twins.”_

When Takashi helped Chiharu step out of the limousine, Renge was intrigued. “ _Mori-sempai was just a background character when I was at Ouran, always deferring to Honey-sempai. Now he has a presence all of his own. I’m not sure what it is, but I must find out. And I believe that’s the Tojo girl that was supposed to marry Komitsuzawa. Her family handles Daddy’s marketing in Japan. Curiouser and curiouser_.”

Finally, Mitsukuni stepped out and helped Reiko down. Renge’s jaw dropped as she looked him up and down. “Honey-sempai, is that you?” she managed to choke out. “You’ve grown!”

He chuckled and replied, “Thanks for noticing. Just one of the many stories we have to tell.” Wrapping his arm around Reiko’s waist, they joined the others while Renge stood motionless in shock.

Reynard came out to look for Renge and saw that their guests had arrived. “Welcome. Thank you for joining us for lunch. I’m looking forward to all the stories you have to tell, especially since something seems to have made Renge speechless. That’s never happened before.” With a laugh, he gestured for them to follow him into the house.

Renge finally shook herself out of her stupor and followed as well.

They were all seated in the dining room waiting for her. She settled into her place at the foot of the table, opposite her father. 

Reynard turned to Kyoya and prompted, “Please introduce your companions. Rene and Haruhi we already know.” He waved to Rene on his left and Haruhi on his right.

Kyoya stood from his seat on the other side of Haruhi and bowed respectfully. “It would be my honor to introduce my adopted brothers and their significant others.”

“Seated next to Rene is Hikaru, formerly Hitachiin. His companion is the lovely Estee Beringar. Her parents were working for the Hitachiins and killed in the same bombing. Then Hikaru’s twin, Kaoru. His delightful companion is Coco Beringar, Estee’s younger sister.”

Reynard interrupted the introductions. “My condolences on the loss in both your families.”

“Thank you,” the quartet murmured softly.

Kyoya continued, “Seated next to Renge is Mitsukuni, formerly Haninozuka and his significant other, Reiko Kanazuki.”

Renge chimed in, “Reiko, you were in the Black Magic Club with Umehito Nekozawa, right?”

“That is correct,” Reiko replied.

“And here we have Takashi, formerly Morinozuka and his significant other, Chiharu Tojo,” Kyoya finished, gesturing with a flourish to the couple seated at his right.

“Lovely to see you again, Miss Tojo,” Reynard acknowledged.

Renge could barely contain her curiosity as lunch was served. She intently watched Haruhi who was conversing comfortably with Reynard.

“I can’t take it any longer,” Renge declared as she stood up. “Please…please…please, tell me how Haruhi, a female, was a host.”

Haruhi laughed. “Okay, Renge, have a seat. You deserve to know the story. I am, and have always been, female. I just never considered it an important part of my identity. A misunderstanding and a broken vase resulted in my inclusion in the Host Club.”

It took about fifteen minutes with each member of the Host Club chiming in to relate the story. Kyoya pulled up Haruhi’s middle school ID picture and the photo from her first day at Ouran on his tablet and displayed them side-by-side. He passed his tablet around the table.

Reynard remarked, “That’s an incredible story. Does that relate to your name changes?”

“Each of our name changes has its own story, but you have to understand the creation of the Hinan family to see how these events fit together,” Takashi stated.

Mitsukuni added, “To understand the creation of the Hinan family, you need to know about the incidents at the Ouran Fair two years ago.”

Kyoya turned to Renge. “I’ve been meaning to thank you for your assistance in procuring the carriage for that Fair. It was instrumental in the rescue of Rene from Éclair Tonnerre.”

“Wait,” Reynard interjected. “Are these the events that led to the Tonnerres terminating Anne-Sophie’s employment as a housekeeper?”

“Most certainly,” Kyoya assured him.

Once again, the Host Club took turns relating the incidents that occurred during the two-day event. Rene sounded almost indifferent as he described his treatment by Shizue and Yuzuru. Haruhi couldn’t keep the anger out of her voice as she related the incident of Yoshio slapping Kyoya in full view of everyone.

Kyoya stated, “Éclair requested Haruhi as host during the event and that designation paid the remaining balance of Haruhi’s debt for the broken vase.”

Hikaru continued the story. “Apparently Éclair only requested Haruhi to condescendingly tell her that Rene was forbidden to see or talk to anyone from the Host Club. Somehow she had forced him into an engagement and demanded that he close the Host Club.”

“She had a lot of schemes in play during her time in Japan,” Haruhi explained. “In addition to expanding her family’s holdings in Japan and taking over the Suoh family by marrying Rene, she attempted a hostile takeover of the Otori Group. Kyoya realized what she was doing and beat her to it.”

“You should have seen my father’s face later when I gave it back to him,” Kyoya smirked.

Mitsukuni picked up the thread of the Ouran Fair story. “When we saw Rene leaving with Éclair, Kyoya contacted the second Suoh mansion and found out Rene was headed to the airport. When we tried to follow in the limousine, the Otori Black Onion Squad refused to let us go. Takashi and I took out the Black Onion Squad while Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi took the carriage to catch Rene and bring him back before Éclair could put him on a plane to France.”

“Yeah, that was quite a ride in the carriage,” Kaoru added. “We were going fast, hit something, and we were thrown from the carriage. While I was checking on Hikaru, Haruhi raced off in the carriage to foil Éclair’s plan.”

“And those were the reasons why Haruhi’s behavior changed over the following weeks,” Takashi explained. “Although her debt was paid and she could leave the Host Club, she realized she wanted to stay.”

Rene picked the story up from there. “Not only did she want to stay, she wanted to find a way to protect all of us. Between what happened to me with Shizue’s consent and Yoshio’s public assault on Kyoya, she knew a safe haven—or refuge—was needed.”

Reynard smiled and surmised, “So thus was born the Hinan family, since hinan means refuge. When Rene was speaking to the Japanese inspector, he invited him to Hinansho to meet the whole family. I take it that is the family estate—place of refuge.”

“That’s what we call the property that Kyoya acquired for the Hinan family,” Haruhi confirmed.

“But how could the newly-minted Hinan family afford to run an estate?” Renge questioned, finally emerging from the thrall of the stories.

The Host Club members took turns explaining the origin of the estate, the needs that arose that led them to open it up for limited general public use, and the expansions.

“We all contributed to the creation of the Hinan family in one way or another,” Takashi stated. “But Kyoya and Haruhi were the ones to get it established, so we teasingly refer to them as ‘otou-san’ and ‘okaa-san’ at times.  
  


“Kyoya, did your relationship with Haruhi develop before or after the Hinan family was created?” Renge demanded.

Kyoya and Haruhi blushed as Kyoya hedged, “That depends on how you define it.” He looked at Haruhi affectionately. “I had feelings for her before, but I kept it to myself because Rene was interested in her and he was my best friend. I didn’t want to hurt him.”

Renge rounded on Haruhi. “What about you? Did you have feelings for Kyoya beforehand?”

“I think it’s time for the individual stories,” Haruhi replied, completely sidestepping the question and changing the subject.

“And those would begin with us,” Hikaru and Kaoru chorused.

Hikaru shrugged and said, “You can probably guess our story. Our parents were kill in the Knightsbridge bombing and the Hinan family adopted us along with our younger sister, Ageha.”

Kaoru interrupted, “But that’s not the whole story.”

Once again they all took turns telling the story of how Rena Tsukuda tried to steal the Hitachiin’s estate and how they stopped her as well as recovering several elite orphans she had previously defrauded.

“So that’s what Inspector Yoshinaga meant by all the ripples the Hinan family set in motion,” Reynard remarked.

Haruhi smiled. “The things we brought out about Rena resulted in a complete review and overhaul of the orphanage system, beginning with the government oversight.”

Mitsukuni snorted. “They tried to blame everything on Rena, but we pointed out that she wouldn’t have been able to get away with her schemes for so long if her supervisors had been doing their jobs.”

Reynard said, “The inspector also mentioned Cormorant Construction. What was that all about?”

“Let me explain how our interaction with them came about and then I’ll let you see the footage of the confrontation,” Kyoya replied, picking up his tablet and scrolling through files while he outlined the encroachment on Hinansho by Cormorant Construction.

Renge watched the footage three times before she finally commented, “Impressive, Haruhi. You’re already proving to be a force to be reckoned with.”

The male members of the Host club exchanged glances before they chorused, “Don’t we know it!”

Rene chuckled. “That little confrontation with Cormorant resulted in an extensive review of permitting, inspections, surveying, and contractor licensing. It’s been two years and they are still overhauling processes and procedures while prosecuting corrupt officials, retraining existing personnel, and training new people.”

As the lunch dishes were being cleared away, Renge suggested, “Why don’t we take this into the lounge where we can be more comfortable? Then you can tell us who was next to join the Hinan family.”

“Good idea,” Reynard agreed. “Please follow me.”

After opening the door to the lounge and leading them in, he paused. “Hmm, this may not work after all. It doesn’t look like there is enough seating.”

Mitsukuni said with a grin, “Oh, we can make this work.” He sat down on one end of a loveseat and pulled Reiko into his lap. Takashi sat at the other end and Chiharu climbed into his lap and snuggled down comfortably.

Hikaru and Kaoru commandeered the sofa and placed Estee and Coco between them.

Kyoya and Haruhi sat on the other loveseat while Rene sat on the floor and leaned his head against Haruhi’s knee. She carded her fingers through his hair and he relaxed with a sigh.

Reynard and Renge exchanged a glance before making themselves comfortable in armchairs.

“Okay, who’s next?” Renge asked, her hands clasped in her lap as she wiggled with excitement.

“That would be me,” Mitsukuni admitted. “To respond to what you said to me when we arrived. Yes, I have grown.”

Renge looked confused. “What does your joining the Hinan family have to do with how tall you are?”

“It turns out I was so small because I had a tumor inhibiting my pituitary gland, so I wasn’t getting the growth hormones I needed,” Mitsukuni began.

The others joined in to explain his mood swings and other symptoms that culminated in the fight with Yasuchika. The story continued about his collapse and subsequent diagnosis of the tumor. Kyoya was the only one able to control his emotions enough to explain Yorihisa’s refusal to allow the surgery.

Reynard’s face was suffused with anger as he stated, “I cannot believe a father would deny such a crucial surgery. I fully understand and support your decision.”

“Thanks,” Mitsukuni said softly. “It means a lot to me that you would say that.”

“So, Takashi left his family to join the Hinan family because you did?” Renge asked for clarification.

Takashi shook his head. “No, I had planned to remain in the Morinozuka family but my father and uncle were so adamant that Mitsukuni was in the wrong for wanting the surgery that I could not in all good conscience remain part of the family.” His expression was cloudy as he relived his memories of the argument. Chiharu kissed his cheek and caressed his hand comfortingly.

“That brings it around to me,” Rene announced. “And we already hashed that whole situation out this morning so no need to go over it again.”

Reynard looked at Kyoya and prompted sympathetically, “What is your story?”

Kyoya’s expression was impassive as he answered, “My father disowned me.”

Everyone waited for Kyoya to continue. The tension began to build in the silence.

Finally, Haruhi said, “That’s just the beginning of the story.” She proceeded to explain the phone call from the courthouse, the overlapping emergency with Rene’s plight, and the subsequent call from the court clerk. 

She concluded, “It was all part of a larger plan. Shizue would get rid of Rene and Yoshio would disown Kyoya. Then Shizue would adopt Kyoya as her heir.”

Reynard looked confused. “What about Yuzuru?”

“He might be heir in the short-term, but he is unable to father another child. Shizue saw adoption as the only viable alternative to continue the Suoh line,” Rene explained with a shrug.

“Wait a minute,” Renge said. “So, what happened to Shizue’s plans when she couldn’t adopt Kyoya?”

Everyone turned to look at Kyoya as he started laughing. “Fuyumi told me that Yoshio was forced to disown Akito for Shizue to adopt. I surmise that Yoshio signed a contract and, in his greed, did not read it carefully. He probably assumed when I was not available to be adopted that the contract was void.”

Before they continued, the housekeeper entered with the tea tray. Reynard looked surprised. “Is it really that late already?”

The housekeeper nodded politely and started serving the tea. When she handed a cup to Rene, he asked quietly “Did you know my mother, Anne-Sophie?”

Smiling brightly, the housekeeper responded, “Oh, yes I did. She was an absolute delight to have around the house. Why, the stories I could tell you.”

“Would you? Tell the stories, that is?” Rene asked pleadingly.

Reynard nodded when the housekeeper looked to him for permission. “I would be glad to. I can even bring some others in who have stories of her as well.”

“Thank you. I would appreciate that immensely.”

“Before we begin,” Reynard interjected, “I wanted to ask if you all would remain for dinner as well. In addition to the staff’s stories about Rene’s mother, I would like to hear the stories of the other four lovely ladies in our midst.”

Kyoya glanced around and everyone nodded their acceptance. “We would be honored to remain. I will let my staff know that we will not be home for dinner.”

Rene lit up happily as he said, “Now, on with the stories.”

The housekeeper tapped her finger against her lips in thought. “Ah, I know just the story to start with. It happened this one day while your mother was walking in the garden…”


	25. Facing the Past - Paris Edition, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit 9/24/20.

They were all sitting at breakfast enjoying porridge, when Haruhi pointed her spoon at Rene accusingly. “We never did have lunch at Tom and Sabine’s bakery the other day.”

Rene looked sheepish. “Yeah, sorry about that,” he mumbled. “But you have to admit that it’s not every day that people think you’re dead and are surprised when you’re not.”

“Okay, I will concede that something like that would make such mundane concerns as food seem unimportant,” Haruhi teased.

Estee spoke up, “I have to admit that I wasn’t interested in food after finding out my aunt was looking for us.”

“She’s enough to make anyone lose their appetite,” Coco agreed.

“Not that I’m complaining, because it is delicious, but whose idea was the porridge this morning?” Mitsukuni asked, changing the subject.

Kyoya chuckled. “I think it’s my housekeeper’s form of punishment for staying out so late last night after having lunch and dinner at the Houshakuji estate.”

“It’s unusual to our tastes, but I wouldn’t consider it a punishment,” Haruhi commented, adding a few more sliced strawberries to her bowl.

“I agree,” Mitsukuni said enthusiastically, adding more berries to his own bowl.

Takashi looked at Rene. “So, are you going to take us to lunch at the bakery today?” he teased.

“Yes, lunch at the bakery today is on me,” Rene replied.

“I’ll have security prepare the car so we can leave at one o’clock,” Kyoya said. “I have a few business matters I need to attend to this morning.”

“I think I’m going to try reading my mother’s letters,” Rene murmured.

“We’re going to do some planning for touring the Jardin des Plantes and the Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et biologiques in a day or two,” Reiko stated, indicating herself, Mitsukuni, Chiharu, and Takashi. “I’m hoping to acquire some additional propagates for my research.”

Hikaru and Kaoru looked pointedly at Haruhi. “We need to go through your wardrobe and see what we should buy for you here in Paris. Estee and Coco can help us.”

Haruhi rolled her eyes. “Very well. One more day of shopping won’t kill me…I hope.”

Everyone laughed as they finished breakfast and placed their dishes on the sideboard. Before they scattered to their morning projects, Kyoya called, “Meet in the living room at quarter to one.”

There was a chorus of, “Yes, otou-san.”

<OHSHC>

“Rene, it’s so good to see you again,” Sabine called as he and his friends entered the bakery. “How did things go with Catherine? Did everything get straightened out?”

“Sabine, thank you for all your assistance. Catherine helped me get it all sorted out. She even gave me the legacy from my mother,” Rene replied. “But right now, we’re here for lunch.”

“Of course, Rene. Any idea what you want?” Sabine asked.

“Please bring us a selection of quiche and some tea,” Rene requested.

Sabine smiled. “Make yourselves comfortable, I’ll bring them right out.”

The group rearranged several tables far from the door so they would not interfere with other customers. 

“You are going to love these,” Estee exclaimed.

“They are the best in Paris,” Coco added.

Sabine brought their order and a selection of fruit tarts. “Estee and Coco, I believe these are your favorites.”

“Oh, you remembered. Thank you,” the sisters chorused excitedly.

They chatted amiably while enjoying the delicious lunch when the bakery’s door opened and Yvette Seward stormed in.

“I should have known you two would be here. Did you thieves really think you could get away with it?” she demanded. “I’ve already reported you to the police. I should call and tell them where you are.”

Mitsukuni, Takashi, Hikaru, and Kaoru all stood up and placed themselves between Yvette and the sisters. Kyoya stood up more slowly and walked languidly around the wall created by his brothers. “Go ahead and call the police. I should tell you that I sent a file to Inspector Touren-Grosseau this morning detailing evidence of your crimes—embezzlement, fraud, and identity theft, just to name a few.”

“I don’t know who you are, but you’re bluffing. You don’t have any evidence of anything,” Yvette sneered.

Kyoya ignored her as he turned to Sabine. “Please call the police and have them send Inspector Touren-Grosseau. Be sure they tell him Estee and Coco Beringar are here at the bakery as well as Yvette Seward.”

“You’re going to turn them in?!?!?” Hikaru yelled.

Turning to look at his brother, Kyoya smirked. “Don’t you trust me?”

Kaoru placed a hand on Hikaru’s shoulder. “Have you ever known the Shadow King to do anything without a plan, backup plan, and contingency plan?”

Sabine looked skeptical as she placed the call.

Five minutes later, Inspector Touren-Grosseau and a police officer walked through the door of the bakery. “We received a call that there were wanted criminals here,” the inspector stated, trying hard to hide a smile.

Yvette rounded on him, pointed toward the sisters, and demanded, “Arrest them. They stole valuables from my apartment the day before yesterday. And those four men standing there helped them.”

“And you are?” the inspector inquired.

“I am Yvette Seward,” she raged indignantly.

“May I see your identification?” was the inspector’s only response.

Yvette pulled out her wallet and handed him her identification card. “I called two days ago about my nieces breaking into my apartment, stealing me blind, and taking off with a bunch of foreigners.”

Inspector Touren-Grosseau raised an eyebrow at her rant while he pulled up her information on his tablet. “I see that you did file a complaint. However, you failed to provide any list of valuables taken or substantiate your claim in any way.”

“I’m still working on it,” Yvette pouted. “I just happened to find them here when I came in to pick up something for lunch.”

“Keep an eye on her,” the inspector said quietly to the police officer. “I need to speak to the young ladies.” Turning to Kyoya, he requested, “M. Hinan, may I speak to Estee and Coco Beringar for a moment?”

Kyoya held up a finger to say ‘wait a moment’ as he turned to his wall of brothers. “It is just a formality. The inspector and I spoke this morning about the matter,” he whispered before waving Estee and Coco forward.

Grudgingly, Hikaru and Kaoru allowed the sisters to approach the inspector with their identification.

As he took the cards, the inspector smiled reassuringly. After entering the information into his tablet, he handed the cards back and said, “Everything appears to be in order.” Then he turned to Kyoya again. “Since the young ladies are staying at your residence, I would like your permission to search the premises for the Mlle. Seward’s missing items, when she provides a list, of course.”

“Don’t you mean ‘if’ she provides a list,” Kyoya muttered under his breath. “You have my full cooperation,” he assured the inspector.

Turning back to Yvette, the inspector declared, “Now we can address the charges leveled against you.”

“What charges?” she demanded. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“The law would beg to differ about that. I received substantial evidence of your embezzlement of your sister’s estate. You will come with us to the police station.”

“I’ll do nothing of the sort. You have no right…”

Undeterred, the police officer grabbed her arm and proceeded to secure her in handcuffs and inform her of her legal rights. Then he escorted her out of the bakery, ignoring her screams of protest the whole time.

Inspector Touren-Grosseau approached Sabine. “Thank you for calling. I apologize if we inconvenienced your business, but it will clear these cases up so much faster. While I’m here, I would like to pick up a dozen macarons and three croissants.”

While Sabine was busy preparing his order, Kyoya turned to the group and smirked. “There is no need to worry about anything. The inspector will come to search as a matter of course to show due diligence on his part. Since Estee and Coco didn’t take anything belonging to Yvette, they have nothing to worry about.”

“Was having lunch here a set up?” Haruhi demanded, suspicious of the aunt’s arrival.

“Not at all. Yvette’s appearance was coincidental. I had no way of knowing she would show up here while we were having lunch. The inspector and I spoke this morning after I sent him my research on Estee and Coco’s inheritance. Yvette was blatantly obvious in her theft of their money.” Kyoya gestured for them all to return to their seats.

The inspector waved amiably to the group as he left with his purchase. Sabine came over to the table and asked, “Are you all okay? That bit of excitement was rather unexpected.”

Mitsukuni grinned. “Actually, excitement like that seems to follow us around because we don’t ignore wrong-doing. I think it was Haruhi that once said that corruption is like an elephant. You take it on one bite at a time. And it looks like we just took another bite.”

Everyone laughed at his statement.

The bell over the door rang and Sabine turned to see who had come in. “Marinette. It’s good to see you. How did the internship interviews go?”

At the sight of his old friend, Rene stood up and slipped around the table. Before she knew what was happening, Marinette was swept up in Rene’s arms as he hugged her and spun her around the room.

Sabine was the only one who noticed that Marinette had not entered alone. Standing in the doorway in a state of shock were Alya, Nino, and Adrien.

Alya crossed her arms, snorted, and said with a smirk, “Well, looks like Mari really does have a thing for blonds.”

Nino stood there with his mouth hanging slightly open because he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Adrien suppressed the urge to growl and grab Marinette out of this…this…this encroacher’s arms.

Takashi calmly stood up, judged his timing, and plucked Marinette gently out of Rene’s suffocating embrace.

“Hey, Takashi, what did you do that for?” Rene pouted. “We haven’t seen each other in five years.

“She needed to breathe,” Takashi replied bluntly.

Marinette looked up…and up at the tall dark-haired young man that had ‘rescued’ her. Smiling brightly, she said, “Thanks, but it really wasn’t necessary.” She turned to Rene, picked him up, and swung him around in a tight embrace. “I’ve missed you. Five years is just too long.”

Before Takashi had to intervene, Marinette set Rene back on his feet. “I am also relieved to see that you aren’t dead. It was such a shock last week when the news reported that police suspected your grandmother had you murdered and your body hidden.”

Nino finally recovered from his shock, stepped forward, and pulled Rene into a rough hug. “Dude, I am so glad that you’re alive. It’s been way too long, bro.”

Adrien suppressed another wave of jealousy as the other blond garnered the attention of his best friend as well.

Haruhi snickered and whispered to Kyoya, “Maybe Nino is the reason Rene got so upset when he first figured out I was a girl and I remarked about just calling everyone ‘dude’ and ‘bro’ so I could pull off being a host.”

“Interesting hypothesis,” Kyoya replied quietly with a wink.

Alya stepped forward. “Hey, Mari, care to introduce us? Or are you trying to keep them all to yourself?”

Marinette blushed. “Rene, these are my friends, Alya and Adrien. They both started at College Francoise Dupont just after you moved to Japan.”

Rene bowed over Alya’s hand. “It is a delight to meet you, Alya.”

“Dude, that’s my lady,” Nino grunted. “Friend or no friend, I don’t take kindly to interlopers.”

Haruhi stepped forward. “Don’t worry about him, he’s harmless. It’s just the Host Club princely-type coming out.”

Nino looked confused. “Host Club?”

Haruhi laughed. “Better to explain that after introductions. By the way, I’m Haruhi Fujioka. I met Rene because of the Host Club. There are quite a few stories that we have to tell.”

Alya perked up. “Stories? Did I hear someone say stories?”

Rene turned to Adrien and said, “You look familiar.” He pondered for a moment before snapping his fingers. “That’s right, you are the face of the Gabriel brand.”

Hikaru and Kaoru appeared on either side of Rene. “Fraternizing with the enemy? How could you, Rene?” they teased in unison.

Adrien looked at the twins quizzically and then this face lit up in recognition. “You’re the Hitachiin twins!”

“It’s been a while Agreste,” Hikaru mused.

“Four years ago in Milan, wasn’t it?” Kaoru asked.

Adrien grinned. “That’s right. You two always played that game…’Which one is Hikaru?’ I never could win. Though you don’t look as alike now as you did then.”

“We lost interest in the game when we encountered someone who always won, no matter how we tried to trick her,” Kaoru admitted, jabbing a thumb in Haruhi’s direction.

Hikaru continued, “In fact, let us introduce you to the rest of our group.”

“Well, you don’t need to introduce these two,” Adrien said, gesturing to Estee and Coco. “They worked with me on a shoot three years ago when their mother was filling in for my regular photographer, Vincent. Two of the models I was supposed to be working with were stuck in New York because of a storm. They did a great job for stepping in last minute like that.”

“Long time no see, Adrien,” Coco teased. “It’s been a whole week since we saw you while we were checking the work boards at Gabriel.”

“Marinette, why don’t you take everyone upstairs to continue the introductions and stories? The afternoon rush will begin soon,” Sabine commented.

Looking pensive, Marinette responded, “Do you think we’ll all fit? We have quite a crowd here.”

“If I may make a suggestion,” Kyoya interjected. “We could head to my house. There is plenty of room there for us to get comfortable and exchange stories. We can even plan on having dinner together.”

Marinette, Adrien, Alya, and Nino looked at each other. “Sounds like a plan,” Marinette replied.

Kyoya smiled. “Good. I’ll call for transport.”

“While he’s doing that, let’s finish the introductions,” Haruhi inserted.

She had just finished introducing Mitsukuni, Reiko, Takashi, and Chiharu when the bell over the door rang and a well-dressed woman walked in.

“Marinette, thank goodness you’re here. I really need you to watch Manon for me,” Nadja Chamack begged. “I’m working on a story about the return of the missing de Grantaine son, but I can’t make any progress locating him because Manon keeps running off or getting into things.”

“I’m sorry, Mm. Chamack, but I have plans this afternoon,” Marinette stated. She looked at Rene questioningly.

Understanding dawned on his face and he stepped forward. “Excuse me, but I believe I am the person you are looking for.”

Nadja looked from Marinette to Rene to Sabine. Sabine nodded in confirmation that this young man was the person Nadja had been seeking.

“I would like to interview you for my show tomorrow. Are you available for a live interview tomorrow at one o’clock or will we need to record it?” Nadja asked.

Rene looked to Kyoya who nodded. “I am available. Just give me the address and I will be there tomorrow at noon so we have time to get everything set up.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” the reporter enthused as she handed him a card she retrieved from her purse.

Rene noticed that the transport had arrived to take them back to Kyoya’s for their time with Marinette, Nino, and their friends. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, but you must excuse us, we have a prior engagement at this time.”

<OHSHC>

“That was a lot of fun with Marinette, Nino, Alya, and Adrien yesterday,” Chiharu said the next morning at breakfast. “It was fun hearing stories about Rene when he was younger.”

“I thought Alya’s pencil was going to start a fire on her notepad, she was writing so fast to jot down our stories,” Reiko joked. “I guess that’s really no surprise since she wants to be a journalist.”

Mitsukuni spoke up. “So what are the plans for today?”

Kyoya stated, “I spoke to Inspector Touren-Grosseau this morning and he will be here at ten o’clock with two officers to search the premises for Yvette Seward’s complaint. He said the ‘list’ she gave him was rather vague. It just said money and jewelry.” Turning to Estee and Coco, he asked, “Do you have any money or jewelry?”

Chuckling mirthlessly, Estee replied, “I have some money from my job as a photographer’s assistant. She was a friend of our mother’s and she gave me a part-time job after the bombing. I have the pay stubs to prove it.”

“I have a little left from my job washing dishes at a nearby café,” Coco added, shrugging. “And we each have a couple pieces of jewelry that our mother left us.”

Kyoya nodded. “Yes, I saw the pictures with your parents’ wills. Everything appears to be in order, so we have nothing to worry about.”

Rene piped up, “I have that interview this afternoon. Do we want to do some sightseeing after that?”

“Actually,” Hikaru started, “I’d like a quiet day at home and a movie marathon tonight.”

Kaoru added, “We’re going out sightseeing and shopping tomorrow anyway.”

Looking pensive, Rene responded, “Yeah, a night in sounds like a good idea now that you mention it.”

There were murmurs of agreement from around the table.

Rene stood up to take his dishes to the sideboard. “I’m going to go finish reading the letters from my mother.”

“I need to go clean up the mess the twins made of my room,” Haruhi said, giving the offenders a half-joking glare.

“Mind if I keep you company while I work on business?” Kyoya asked.

She smiled softly. “I’d like that. We haven’t had a lot of quiet time alone on this trip.”

“Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do,” Takashi teased.

Mitsukuni added, “We’ll be in to check on you later to be sure.”

“And we shall return the favor,” Kyoya murmured, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

<OHSHC>

As everyone was arranging pillows and blankets to settle in for their movie night, Kyoya noticed that Rene was extremely pensive. Quietly he drew Rene aside and asked, “Is something wrong?”

Rene glanced around at the others and answered in a whisper, “Can we go talk in your office?”

Kyoya was disturbed by the downcast note in his brother’s tone. He gestured for Rene to lead the way.

After he closed the door and the two of them settled in facing armchairs, Rene twisted his hands in his lap. “I finished reading my mother’s letters today,” he stated flatly.

Silence dominated the room as Kyoya waited for Rene to collect his thoughts and reveal the reason he wanted this meeting.

Suddenly, Rene sat up straight and his voice was hard as he bit out, “I want to take over the Tonnerre holdings…all of them.”

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. “I take it your mother’s letters were rather…illuminating about the Tonnerre family.”

Rene stood up and started to pace. “I thought your fa…Yoshio was cruel and used people for his own ends, but the things my mother documented in her letters was another level of…of evil. Young girls lured with promises of good paying jobs, only to be used by Éclair’s father. Then they would be dumped into one of his ‘escort’ businesses. But only after convincing them that they were worthless as anything but a body to be used for sex.” He shuddered as he spat the words from his mouth.

Standing, Kyoya moved to his brother’s side and wrapped him in a tight embrace. “Do you need me to get Haruhi for you?”

“NO!” Rene looked horrified. “I don’t want her to know about the sick things the Tonnerres are capable of doing. If you guys had not stopped me from marrying her, I don’t know what my life would have become.” He buried his face in Kyoya’s shoulder.

“Okay, we’ll keep this project between the two of us. I have actually been considering a hostile takeover of several Tonnerre businesses since the stunt they tried to pull with the Otori Group that I thwarted. I just wasn’t sure that Haruhi would approve of me taking revenge like that.”

“What will she say when she finds out what we’re doing?”

“Without going into detail, we will tell her that information in your mother’s letters made the takeover imperative.” Kyoya smiled encouragingly. “Don’t worry. From what little you’ve told me, she would probably lead the charge if she knew.”

“One more thing,” Rene said, his expression serious. “I don’t want any of the Tonnerre business linked to the Hinan family, even to dismantle it.”

Kyoya smirked. “Not a problem. This is just the type of thing KO Conglomerate does. Don’t you think the Tonnerre estate would make the perfect place for a rehabilitation center for rescued sex workers?”

“How very appropriate—and in some ways therapeutic for those exploited by Tonnerre to recuperate in the lavish surroundings formerly enjoyed by their abusers while said abusers languish in prison.,” Rene grinned ferally.

“Poetic justice, don’t you think? We’ll need to find a top-notched group of physicians and trauma counselors to head the facility. I’ll ponder who among my contacts would best be suited for that task while we watch movies tonight. Speaking of which, we should get back before they come looking for us. Shall we begin tomorrow while the others are out shopping and sightseeing?”  
  


“Sounds like a plan, mon ami,” Rene said as he headed for the door and the movies.

<OHSHC>

Reiko checked her bag for the envelopes with her permits and licenses to purchase and ship plants. “Are you ready to go?” she asked, glancing at Mitsukuni, Takashi, and Chiharu.

“Ready and waiting,” Mitsukuni replied with a wink.

Takashi addressed those who were not accompanying them, “We’ll be back for dinner, but we’re going to spend the day exploring.”

“Have fun,” Haruhi called out as they left. Under her breath she muttered, “I know I won’t be.”

“We heard that,” the twins chorused.

“Come on now,” Hikaru admonished. “We have to behave ourselves because Marinette and Adrien will be with us.”

“Okay, I concede that it will be fun to get to know them better.”

Estee added, “Marinette is really nice and an incredible designer. She’s won several design competitions in the past five years.”

“It’s no wonder she had internship interviews,” Coco continued.

“Hmm, we’ll have to ask her about that during our trip today,” Kaoru mused.

Haruhi turned to Kyoya. “Are you sure you don’t want to come along?”

“I wish I could, but I promised to help Rene with something today.” He looked pointedly at the twins. “I trust you two will not try anything since you will have Marinette and Adrien along.”

“Here’s hoping,” Haruhi said, laughing at the indignant expressions on their faces.

“I really wish you were taking our transport and a full security team,” Kyoya stated.

“Adrien is only allowed to come if it is his car and his bodyguard. I’m sure we’ll be fine, especially since I know you will have at least two security guards following us in an inconspicuous car,” Haruhi murmured as she pulled Kyoya’s head down to give him a kiss.

“You know me so well,” he replied, caressing her cheek before she pulled away to follow the impatient twins.

“Speaking of Adrien,” Hikaru interrupted, “his car just pulled up out front. I can see why he only has one bodyguard even though he’s extremely famous in Paris—look at that guy.”

“Have fun with your plans for world domination, you two,” Haruhi called over her shoulder to Kyoya and Rene as she followed the others out to the waiting car.

<OHSHC>

“Mlle. Kanazuki, it is a pleasure to speak with someone so knowledgeable about pharmaceutical botanicals. Since your credentials are in order, I would be happy to help you identify which of our plants would be pertinent to your research.”

Reiko turned to Mitsukuni and said, “You should go sightseeing with Takashi and Chiharu. This could take a while.”

He smiled and replied, “Oh, I fully intend to stay here with you. I love watching you get passionate about your work. I do think, however, that Takashi and Chiharu should take some time alone. I’ll be right back.”

Takashi and Chiharu were waiting on a bench in the garden when Mitsukuni stepped out of the office. “You two go sightseeing. You deserve some time alone together. Reiko and the professor will be talking for a while. I’m staying here with her.”

Takashi protested, “But…”

“No. You two will go have some time alone together.”

Chiharu laid her hand on Takashi’s arm before he could protest further. “Thank you. We’ll see you two back at the house for dinner tonight.”

After Mitsukuni returned to Reiko in the office, Takashi looked at Chiharu questioningly. “They need some time alone too. Remember, you don’t have to be there to protect everyone from him anymore.”

Takashi looked down at her and smiled softly. “Old habits die hard. Thank you for reminding me that he will be fine on his own.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”

After fifteen minutes of wandering through the gardens and admiring the plantings, Takashi noticed that Chiharu was looking pensive. “Is something wrong?” He stopped and turned her gently to look at him.

Chiharu looked around rather than meeting his eyes. “ _Have I done something to upset her? Maybe my dedication to Mitsukuni?”_ Takashi thought.

“Let’s sit on the bench over there. I have something I want to talk to you about,” Chiharu said softly.

Takashi settled on the bench and stared at his hands in his lap, waiting to hear what Chiharu wanted to tell him.

Scooting close to him and taking his hand, she said, “I am not upset with you. I can read it in the look on your face.” She reached up and cupped his cheek. “I just have a decision to make and I want your advice.”

Takashi looked relieved as he waited for her to continue.

She rubbed her thumb across his knuckles for a few minutes as she gathered her thoughts. “Before the end of the term at University, I called Shima at Hinansho. I realized that I wasn’t interested in advertising and marketing. You have each chosen your own path, rather than follow in your family footsteps. I want to follow my own path as well.”

Raising her hand to his lips, he kissed it gently. “I will support your decision in any way I can,” he assured her.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “I want to change my major to Hospitality Management, with my career goal of replacing Shima when she retires. What do you think?”

Takashi smiled. “If that is what you want, then I think you should do it. I certainly won’t complain about you being around more during the breaks.”

“Thank you for understanding. I just hope my family does.” She stood up and pulled him to his feet. “Let’s go do some sightseeing and have some fun.”

Chuckling, he followed her as she dragged him toward the exit from the garden and out into the city.

<OHSHC>

When the twins climbed into the Agreste vehicle, they found Adrien and Marinette sitting together. They sat down opposite and pulled Marinette to the space between them.

“Hey,” Adrien protested, trying very hard to contain a growl.

Haruhi climbed in and sat next to Adrien. “Don’t worry. They’re harmless. But you know how fashion designers are, they have to get together and compare notes and ideas.”

Adrien sighed. “I know you’re right. I just don’t get out very much and Mari is the best friend I have.”

“What about Nino?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“He’s my best guy friend, but Mari understands the fashion industry and a lot of the things I go through being a model,” Adrien admitted.

Estee sat on the other side of Adrien and Coco sat next to Kaoru.

As soon as the car pulled away from the curb, Hikaru rubbed against Marinette’s right side and purred, “So, your mother mentioned that you were interviewing for internships. Anyone we know?”

“Those were three really intense days with ten interviews.” She closed her eyes and started enumerating the list on her fingers. “Let’s see, there was Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vitton, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Gabriel Agreste, Audrey Bourgeois, Isabel Marant, Vanessa Bruno, Bouchra Jarran, and Christian Loubouton.” 

Kaoru rubbed against her left side and asked, “Do you have a…favorite?” He looked pointedly at Adrien.

“I haven’t received any offers yet so I can’t really say,” Marinette hedged.

Coco asked, “Don’t you want to work at Gabriel so you’ll be close to Adrien?”

Marinette’s expression turned hard. “I do not like how Gabriel treats his son or his employees. And then, of course, was that spectacle he and Audrey created in London at the Knightsbridge memorial. I cannot believe that they pretended to be ‘negotiating’ when they were just creating a photo opportunity to advance their own careers.”

Hikaru looked around her to his brother. “I like this one. She thinks the way we do.”

Kaoru nodded. “Maybe we should offer her an internship with Hitachiin Fashions?”

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said, looking down and twisting her fingers together. “There are reasons that I need to remain in Paris.”

“ _Why would she limit herself like that?_ ” Adrien looked at her in surprise and confusion. Then he thought, “ _Oh, of course. Her family is here in Paris_.”

Haruhi watched Adrien’s reaction to Marinette’s answer. “ _His life is a lot like Kyoya’s was—controlling father, unrealistic expectations, suppressed emotions. The biggest difference is how sheltered he’s been. From the stories the other night, he’s only had about five years of normal social interaction. No wonder he doesn’t understand the feelings he has for Marinette.”_

Before Haruhi could say anything to Adrien, the vehicle pulled up in front of the first shop where the twins wanted to take Haruhi shopping.

Just before they entered the shop, Hikaru’s phone rang. He stepped away for a minute to take the call. When he returned, he had a huge grin on his face. He motioned Kaoru over and whispered something in his ear which made his twin grin as well.

“Okay, what are you to up to?” Haruhi demanded.

Hikaru smirked. “It something good.”

“Estee. Coco. We have some good news for you,” Kaoru called.

“What might that be?” Estee asked, slightly confused.

The twins exchanged a glance and Hikaru nodded to Kaoru to do the honors. “The phone call that Hikaru just received was from the lawyer for Hitachiin Fashions. He has drawn up the paperwork for you two to receive scholarships to whatever University you want to attend and a monthly stipend to cover living expenses.”

“No,” Estee stated. “We will not take handouts.”

Hikaru looked at her tenderly. “It’s not a handout. It is compensation for the death of your parents while they were in the employ of Hitachiin Fashions. A standard practice in better businesses.”

“But it wasn’t your fault,” Coco proclaimed.

Kaoru countered, “It’s not about fault, it’s about what’s right. It should have been done right after the bombing, but we didn’t know who was working for our parents that day.”

Estee stepped close to Hikaru and touched his arm gently. “You were dealing with your own loss and grief. I…we thank you for this opportunity to get the training we need so we can support ourselves.”

Coco moved to Kaoru’s side and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thank you. This means a lot to us.”

Haruhi waited a minute before she interrupted the doe-eyed looks they were giving each other. “If you four want some time alone, I can go off somewhere with Marinette and Adrien.”

The twins and the sisters then recalled that they were standing on a public sidewalk. Light blushes graced all their cheeks. “It’s fine. We’ll get back to the shopping. We can talk more about the scholarships after we get back to the house,” Hikaru admitted sheepishly.

After the twins found a couple of the pieces needed for Haruhi’s wardrobe, they decided to buy a few things for Estee and Coco. The sisters tried to protest but the twins were adamant.

“We were there when you packed up your belongings at your aunt’s apartment,” Hikaru reminded them. “We know that you need a few things.”

Kaoru looked at them pleadingly, though Haruhi was pretty sure it was an act. “Please let us indulge you. Haruhi won’t let us buy very much for her and we love shopping.”

Estee turned to Haruhi and asked, “Are they always like this?”

“Oh, this is toned down since we have company,” she responded, nodding in the direction of Marinette and Adrien. “It’s okay to let them have a little fun. But I warn you, keep an eye on them if you don’t want to find something…risqué among your new clothes.”

Half an hour later, they left the shop. They had arranged for their packages to be delivered to the house so they could continue unencumbered. They climbed in the vehicle to head to their next stop.

Estee was holding Hikaru’s arm as they entered the shop. He mused, “I never realized how much more fun shopping could be with a willing participant. Haruhi has always been so reluctant we’ve practically had to tie her up and drag her along.”

“I’ve never had someone this interested in shopping with me either,” she replied, pressing lightly into his side.

“This is going to be so much fun,” Coco enthused, holding Kaoru’s hand and swinging it.

Kaoru smiled at her. “I know what you mean. You actually like to try things on to see how they look. Haruhi would rather grab the first thing in her size and be done with it.”

“Okay, I get the message. I’m not fun to shop for clothes with,” Haruhi called after them, grinning.

“You don’t mind?” Adrien asked pensively.

“Not in the slightest. It’s been a running gag practically from the moment I met them. Remember, I’ve never been big on appearances.”

Marinette piped up, “How about you four go do your shopping while Adrien and I help Haruhi?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Hikaru replied. “Good luck with getting her to try on anything.” Then he and Estee wandered off in one direction while Kaoru and Coco went off in another.

Marinette walked around Haruhi, considering her from every angle. “Do you trust me?” she asked when she finished her appraisal.

Haruhi shrugged. “Why not?”

Adrien and Haruhi followed Marinette around the store as she picked up items and handed them to Adrien. Then she led them to the changing rooms.

Handing Haruhi several hangers, Marinette said, “Try these.”

Looking skeptical, Haruhi took the pieces into the changing room. Several minutes later she stepped out and Adrien’s swallowed hard.

Marinette guided Haruhi over to a full-length mirror. “What do you think?”

Haruhi turned this way and that as she admired the outfit. “I concede. You have quite the eye for style.”

“Now go try this one,” Marinette said, handing her another set of hangers. Haruhi went into the changing room less reluctantly this time.

By the time the group left the shop half an hour later, Haruhi had purchased three of the outfits Marinette had picked out for her. Estee and Coco had each changed into one of the new dresses the twins picked out for them. Their original outfits were shipped to the house with the rest of the purchases.

As they exited the shop, they were met by a gravelly voice demanding, “So, Estee and Coco, where has your aunt been keeping herself?”

Hikaru pushed Estee behind his back and Kaoru did the same with Coco. Haruhi stepped to Hikaru’s side opposite Kaoru and Marinette to Kaoru’s other side. Adrien signaled his bodyguard.

“Maybe you two should take us to your aunt’s apartment and entertain us until she gets home,” the large man with the gravelly voice suggested, leering greedily at Estee and Coco.

“She’s in jail,” Estee admitted.

“Oh, that’s too bad,” a weaselly little man sneered. “I guess you two will have to pay off your aunt’s debts.”

“Yeah. Two sweet little dishes like you will be very popular in our establishment. It should only take five or six years for you to earn enough to pay Yvette’s debts,” the larger one said, chuckling to himself at a joke only he understood.

As the two men reached for Estee and Coco, they were blocked by Hikaru and Kaoru.

“Keep your hands off,” Hikaru growled through clenched teeth.

The larger man cocked his arm back, aiming his fist at Hikaru. “Don’t interfere with my business, foreigner.”

Hikaru braced for the blow, but it never came. When he looked, he saw that the man’s arm was held in the vice-like grip of Adrien’s bodyguard, who also held the back of the weaselly man’s neck.

From behind the group of teens, an authoritative voice stated, “We’ll take things from here.” Men from Kyoya’s security force restrained the men, allowing Adrien’s bodyguard to remove his grip. “The police have been notified and will be here shortly. You may continue your shopping. I will inform the police that they may take your statements at the house later this evening.”

Haruhi inclined her head respectfully. “Thank you for your prompt action.”

The head of the team nodded in acknowledgement. “Please, be on your way so we can deal with these two.”

Adrien’s bodyguard herded the group into the vehicle. Hikaru held Estee as she wept softly into his shoulder, muttering, “What are we going to do? Who knows how many more of those…associates of Aunt Yvette’s will come looking for us to pay her debts?”

Kaoru held Coco and rubbed her back in soothing circles. She was trembling and hadn’t made a sound since the two men had confronted them.

Haruhi looked at the sisters and said to Marinette, “I think this is a good time for lunch. Shall we go to your parents’ bakery?”

“That’s a good idea. We can eat in the apartment, out of the public eye,” she agreed. Calling to the man in the driver’s seat, Marinette said, “Let’s head to the bakery for lunch.” Then she picked up Adrien’s hand and stroked his knuckles with her thumb. “You doing okay? You’ve been awfully quiet.”

His voice was barely a whisper as he replied, “For all the run-ins I’ve had with rabid fans, this encountered felt so much more sinister. Now I know why Father insists on my bodyguard.” He laid his head on Marinette’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

Haruhi patted his knee gently. “It’s okay because it all worked out in the end.”

Marinette wrapped her arm around Adrien’s shoulders. “Just relax. We’ll be to the bakery soon.”

During lunch, they decided that they were done shopping for the day. Estee and Coco just wanted to head back to the house where they knew they would be safe.

<OHSHC>

That evening Inspector Touren-Grosseau arrived to take statements from the five accosted. “These were very dangerous men. While I’m glad they are off the streets, you should haven’t confronted them by yourselves.”

“Technically, we didn’t,” Haruhi clarified. “They approached us as we left a shop and Adrien’s bodyguard neutralized them until Kyoya’s security could take custody.”

“Be that as it may,” he continued. “Cochon and Belette are just low-level thugs in a very dangerous gang.”

Hikaru laughed mirthlessly. “They called themselves ‘Pig’ and ‘Weasel,’ seriously?”

“But rather fitting,” Estee inserted quietly.

Inspector Touren-Grosseau’s tone was serious when he asked, “Do you have someone you can live with?”

Coco was nearly hysterical as she demanded, “But what about University? They could find us there easily.”

“What about your Uncle Adam in London?” Kaoru offered.

The inspector looked pensive. “Even that may leave them vulnerable to this gang since they operate all over Europe.”

Hikaru looked to each of his brothers and Haruhi. All of them nodded in return. “They can come live at Hinansho,” he offered.

Estee and Coco looked at him to see if he was serious. “But why?” they asked in unison.

“Well, why not? Hitachiin Fashions is already going to provide scholarships and stipends, so you can go anywhere you want to in the world. I would really like it if you came to study at Tokyo University with the rest of us,” Hikaru admitted bashfully.

The sisters pulled as many in the group into a hug as they could manage and the rest gathered around to join in.

“Looks like this matter is handled. There is the added benefit that I know where to find any of you if I need to,” the inspector said. “Have a good evening.”

<OHSHC>

Reynard greeted the Hinan group as they entered the ballroom. “Thank you for allowing me to throw you a going away party. It’s been so good to see you again, Kyoya.”

“It’s been good to see you again as well,” Kyoya responded. “I’d like to get together with you, Rene, Catherine, and Jean-Paul before we leave this evening.”

“Ah yes, the last few details for the foundation.” Reynard snapped his fingers. “By the way, Rene, I hope you don’t mind that I invited your grandparents. They are eager to see you again after all these years. They are right over there near the refreshment table with your mother’s brother and sister.”

Rene’s face lit up. “If you all will excuse me, I’ll see you later.”

Renge popped up and grabbed Haruhi’s arm. “I wish we had more time, but you all are leaving tomorrow.”

Haruhi smiled. “You know, Renge, you could always stay at Hinansho when you’re in Japan for one of the Cosplay conventions.”

“Oooh, that is an idea,” Renge murmured happily.

“I hope you don’t mind if I take a moment of Haruhi’s time,” Marinette asked politely.

Renge waved a hand dismissively. “You two go ahead. I’ll just talk to the others.”

“Thank you for the save,” Haruhi said in relief. “Renge is best taken in small doses.”

Marinette led her to a quiet corner near the doors to the garden. “Um, I wanted to ask you about something.”

Trying to put her at ease, Haruhi smiled and said, “I’ll answer if I can.”

“Well, I remember from that night of stories that your significant other, Kyoya, used to be rather reserved and driven. What caused the change in him?” Marinette asked sheepishly.

At first, Haruhi was puzzled by the question. Then it occurred to her what Marinette was actually asking. “You want to know how to help him…Adrien. I notice the other day how much his life resembles what Kyoya’s used to be.” She spent several minutes giving Marinette tips on ways to help Adrien move forward with his life.

The twins and the Beringar sisters were talking to Tom and Sabine. “Please stay in touch,” Sabine said patting Estee and Coco’s arms.

Tom looked seriously at Hikaru and Kaoru. “The Hinan family will look after them, correct?”

Hikaru and Kaoru nervously exchanged a glance before Hikaru replied, “You have our word.”

“And you know where we live,” Kaoru interjected, trying to lighten the mood.

Tom laughed and clapped them on the shoulders. They were able to stay on their feet, just barely.

After an hour of refreshments and chatting, Tom approached Reynard. “Thank you for including us this evening. Sabine, Marinette, Adrien, Alya, Nino, and I have to be going. Please feel free to stop by the bakery from time to time.”

Kyoya waited for them to leave before he asked Reynard, “Shall we have that meeting about the foundation? We’ll need to be leaving soon since our flight is tomorrow morning.”

“Of course.” He gestured to a table on one side of the room. “The de Grantaines asked to be included because they are very interested in the foundation you wish to build out of the ashes of the Tonnerre empire. They were appalled when they heard about how Anne-Sophie was treated.”

Rene’s grandfather walked up and said, “Not to mention disgusted to learn that the Tonnerre empire was funded by human trafficking. I am proud of Rene and his new brother, Kyoya. You have done an exemplary job in just a few days.”

“This project has actually been in the works for two and a half years. I started my research into Tonnerre holdings right after Éclair tried to trick Rene into a marriage,” Kyoya admitted smoothly.

Rene patted Kyoya’s shoulder. “You never want to get on the bad side of the Shadow King. Éclair did it three times in less than two days—she tried a hostile takeover of the Otori Group and insulted Haruhi, as well as trying to trick me into marrying her.”

Catherine joined the discussion. “The new Foundation will certainly be keeping me busy for the foreseeable future. Rene, your mother would be so proud of you.”

Jean-Paul added, “I should petition my Chief Inspector to give the Hinan family a medal. In addition to orchestrating the capture of Cochon and Belette, your dismantling of the Tonnerre empire has gutted the funding for the gang.”

“Then it’s probably a good thing that we’re returning to Japan tomorrow,” Rene stated. “They’ll probably be a bit put out that we took away their cash cow.”

Kyoya turned to Reynard. “Although there were enough legitimate businesses in the Tonnerre holdings to support the Foundation, feel free to contact KO Conglomerate here in France or SK Enterprises in England if additional resources are needed. I have left instructions that they are to help the Foundation in any way possible.”

Catherine took notes as the group discussed the next steps for the Foundation and how soon it could start rescuing sex workers. It didn’t take long for everyone to choose their assignments, eager to get started.

Reynard wished them all a good night. “Have a safe trip,” he called to the Hinan contingent as he and Renge saw everyone to the door. “Don’t forget to come visit again.”


	26. To Move Ahead

It was late afternoon when the plane landed at Tokyo Airport and the group disembarked.

“It’s sooo good to be home,” Haruhi groaned. “I enjoyed the traveling, but I’ve missed my dad and everyone here.”

“I wonder how big Ren has grown,” Reiko commented.

Tachibana and Atsuhiro approached the plane as the group disembarked. Tachibana stepped forward and bowed. “I trust you had a safe trip.”

Kyoya smiled. “It was definitely interesting. These are Estee and Coco Beringar. They will be staying in Haruhi’s old apartment.”

“Shima has it ready for them,” he replied.

“How about we get the luggage collected and get you all to Hinansho?” Atsuhiro asked jovially. He gestured for two baggage handlers to load the trunks into the transport. “I hope we have enough room for everyone and everything. I brought the biggest transport, but you’re returning with more than you left with.”

Takashi chuckled. “Did you miss us, Atsuhiro?”

“I will neither confirm nor deny that rumor.”

Everyone laughed at the relaxed banter, even Estee and Coco who could only understand a little since the entire exchange was in Japanese.

Atsuhiro turned to Estee and Coco and addressed them in French, “My apologies, ladies. It was rude of me to leave you out of the conversation by speaking in Japanese.”

Estee answered in a simple Japanese phrase Hikaru taught her during the flight. “Mondai nai.”

“No problem?” Atsuhiro grinned. “Was it Hikaru or Kaoru who taught you that?”

She smiled shyly and answered, “Hikaru.”

“Enough, Atsuhiro,” Tachibana reprimanded teasingly. “Remember what Shima said about dawdling.”

“Oh, right you are. Kairi has been working on his ‘welcome back’ masterpiece all day and I wouldn’t want to miss out on that,” he said cheekily.

Everyone climbed into the transport with Atsuhiro in the driver’s seat and Tachibana in the passenger seat up front.

Coco had a thoughtful look on her face. “Why does Atsuhiro look so familiar?”

Takashi answered, “He used to compete in karate and kendo. Maybe he was on one of the recordings your uncle Adam gave you.”

“Maybe. But that doesn’t seem quite right. Has he been involved in anything else?”

“He was a driver and mechanic on the rally car circuit until a few years ago,” Takashi added.

“That’s it! The Australian rally car race recording Uncle Adam brought home several years ago. That race was incredible,” Coco squealed and clapped her hands.

Estee shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I was so glad when that recording wore out. You must have watched it at least three times a day.”

“Well, it was an exciting race, you have to admit,” Coco huffed.

Hikaru casually draped an arm over Estee shoulder while Kaoru slipped his hand into Coco’s. “Should we be jealous?” the twins purred in unison.

The sisters giggle, shaking their heads. Estee said, “You two know the nicest people. Can you blame us for finding them fascinating?”

Minutes later the vehicle stopped in front of Hinansho where a small crowd was waiting for them. Haruhi was only halfway out the door when Ryoji grabbed her and pulled her into a suffocating hug. “You’re back. You’re finally back. I’ve missed you so much. Please don’t ever leave me again.”

“Dad,” Haruhi wheezed, “Need to breathe.”

Ryoji loosened his grip fractionally. “You must tell me everything. I know you called every day, but I’m so glad to have you home, Baby Girl.”

“I understand,” Haruhi replied, patting her father’s shoulder. “We will spend tomorrow together unpacking. I bought several outfits for you.”

Shima watched Rene patiently as he climbed out of the vehicle, pulled out a small chest, and tucked it under his arm. Seeing the melancholy look on his face, she walked up and hugged him gently. “You found your mother?” she asked, knowing he needed to tell her what he discovered.

Rene took a deep breath and smiled sadly. “Ironically, she died the same day as the Hitachiins, though not in the same way. I had comfort on the day of her death, even though I didn’t know it at the time.” He patted the chest. “She left me a legacy of letters, photos, and documents. There’s quite a story to tell, but that can wait for later.”

Mr. Naruse approached the twins. “Welcome back. When you have the time, I have the paperwork ready for the Beringar scholarships from Hitachiin Fashions. I take it these are the young ladies in question?”

Ageha left the Shido family and threw herself at her brothers, wrapping her arms tightly around their necks. “I’m so glad you’re back. I was worried that something would happen to you. Fuyumi said you would be fine, but I had to see you for myself.”

Hikaru and Kaoru held her close, murmuring assurances that they were fine. Then they introduced her to the Beringar sisters and Ageha welcomed them unreservedly. Estee and Coco hugged Ageha and murmured their condolences.

Several Hinansho staff members appeared to take charge of the luggage and deliver it to the appropriate apartments.

Kosaku greeted, “Kyoya, it’s good to have you back. How did things go with that investment opportunity I sent to you?”

“I sign the papers the day after tomorrow. How have Hibiki and Ren been doing?” Kyoya responded with a smile.

“I can’t believe how fast he is growing and changing. Sleep for Hibiki and I is still a catch-as-catch-can proposition, but we’re adjusting.”

Kairi stepped out of the front door and raised his voice. “Enough of the dilly-dallying. Dinner is ready and we can listen to all the stories while we eat.”

Laughing, the group followed him to the private dining room. “Before we begin,” Shima announced, “I would like to introduce two friends of mine, Oto Edogawa and Ataru Matoba, recently dismissed from the Translation Corp of the embassy service. Oto and Ataru are both fluent in French and English. They can help translate as needed, as well as tell their own stories.”

Once everyone had a plate of food and settled at the table, the stories started. Oto stood and began, “My name is Oto Edogawa. In addition to French and English, I am also conversant in German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. I wanted to become a translator and work in the embassy service since I was in elementary school. My best friend’s mother worked with the Translation Corp until she got married. She told us wonderful stories of her international travel and all the interesting people she met. Ataru and I met during orientation. We became friends and have even created an immersion program to help others learn languages quickly.” She sat down and nudged her friend. “Your turn.”

Ataru stood up. “My story is a little different. I was recruited into the Translation Corp when I was in high school. My father was a diplomat and we moved every two or three years. Each time I had to learn the local language, so I am conversant in Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Vietnamese. I was subjected to several less than effective immersion courses, so Oto and I used my experiences to create something useful.” Finished with her introduction, she sat down to enjoy her dinner.

“Probably too useful,” Oto murmured bitterly. “They used our immersion program to train pretty young girls as translators and dismissed those of us who weren’t ‘nice scenery’ in the office.”

Haruhi, Kyoya, and Mr. Naruse exchanged glances that said, “We need to talk with them later.”

Reiko stood and said, “I’ll get our travel stories started.” She reported about their visit to the English countryside and her success in acquiring the plant propagates she wanted for her research.

Hikaru pulled out several tablets with photos from the trip and passed them around the table. Then the twins regaled everyone with the story of their visit to the Knightsbridge memorial and meeting the Beringar sisters.

Rene reported on his reunion with his friends in Paris as well as the visit to the lawyer to get the legacy from his mother. The Hinansho group was surprised when he told them about the charges filed against Shizue for his ‘murder.’

Kyoya related the story of the hostile takeover of the Tonnerre holdings and the resulting foundation to support the rehabilitation homes. By the time he had concluded his tale, everyone was finished with dinner.

Kairi gestured for his crew to clear away the dishes while he disappeared into the kitchen. For dramatic effect, he turned off the lights before he pushed the dessert cart into the dining room.

When the lights were turned back on, everyone oohed and aahed at the intricate collection of sweets and fruits on the cart. “You’ve outdone yourself again, Kairi,” Haruhi noted, eyeing the creation hungrily.

<OHSHC>

Ryoji walked into the kitchen, yawning and stretching. “That’s one thing I really missed this summer—the smell of breakfast when I wake up.”  
  


“I hope you were eating properly while I was gone,” Haruhi admonished.

“Kairi made sure I had three meals a day, but I always had to go downstairs to get it. You’ve spoiled me. Even before Kotoko died, you were in the kitchen making breakfast when I got up in the morning.”

“Except when I was at Ouran and I just left your breakfast waiting for you since you worked nights and I had a longer commute to school,” Haruhi teased.

They ate in companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. When they finished, they washed dishes together and tidied the kitchen.

“Now we get to unpack from your trip, right?” Ryoji asked hopefully.

Laughing, Haruhi retrieved the keys to her new trunk from her satchel. “Good thing I packed the things for you right in front.” She opened the locks and pulled open the standing trunk.

“Ooo, that’s a fascinating design,” Ryoji gushed as he peered into the trunk, noting the hanging clothing and the drawers.

Haruhi handed the first two hangers to her dad and opened the top drawer. “Let’s see. I bought you a scarf and beret from a shop in Paris.” She placed the beret on his head at a rakish angle and draped the scarf around his neck. “Now go try on the first outfit so I can see if it fits.”

“Only if you change into one of your new outfits as well,” Ryoji pouted.

“I intended to. I’ll start with the ones Marinette helped me pick out.”

“That’s Rene’s childhood friend?”

“One of them. She’s studying to be a designer. His other friend, Nino, is into music.”

They both slipped into their bedrooms to change into the new outfits.

<OHSHC>

“I’m going to miss you,” Reiko whispered, cuddling into Mitsukuni’s arms and brushing her lips against his jaw. “I’m glad we all slept together in Rene’s room last night. Before the trip, I never knew how safe and comforting it would be.”

He sighed and nuzzled her ear. “The six weeks we’ll be apart before we move back to our university apartments seems like an eternity.” He turned her face so he could kiss her passionately. “ _It’s probably a good thing that Takashi and Chiharu are in the car with us. If we’d taken separate vehicles, things might have gotten out of hand.”_

Takashi’s attention was centered on the young woman sitting on his lap. He ran his fingers gently through her hair as he kissed her softly. She had one hand twirling the hair on the nape of his neck while the other was drawing lazy circles on his back.

He pulled back slightly and rested his forehead against hers. “I wish you could stay at Hinansho.”

“I do, too,” she murmured before kissing him firmly. “But I have to go home and break the news that I’m changing my major. At least Shima has already completed the paperwork for my internship so I’ll be able to spend Winter Break at Hinansho.”

Takashi smiled softly. “I’ll be looking forward to that.” He glanced out the window and his forehead creased in a small frown. “We’re already here.”

Chiharu looked away from Takashi and saw the front gate of her family’s estate. “That was too quick. Walk me to the door?”

“Of course.”

Atsuhiro carried Chiharu’s luggage to the front door where a stern looking butler took it.

When Takashi returned to the car after saying his goodbyes to Chiharu, he climbed into the front passenger seat rather than getting into the back.

Atsuhiro looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. “They can have the time alone together. I’ll ride with Mitsukuni back there on the way home.”

<OHSHC>

“How about we give you a tour of Hinansho?” Hikaru asked Estee and Coco after they finished breakfast.

Kaoru added, “There are some people we’d like to introduce to you.”

Estee cocked her head and asked teasingly, “Will there be a quiz? Because I don’t think I could even get the ‘family’ from dinner last night right.”

“No, no quiz,” Hikaru assured her. “We just want you to know who to go to if you need anything if we’re not available.”

Estee wrapped her hand around Hikaru’s arm as they left the dining room. Kaoru and Coco followed them, hand in hand. They headed to the front desk to get maps for the sisters.

“Oh, the stories we could tell you about this place,” Kaoru reminisced. “Like the photo shoot just after the purchase was complete.”

Hikaru laughed. “We’ll have to find the photo books, especially the fairy tale with a twist.”

Estee and Coco looked at the twins quizzically. “Okay,” Estee said, “You can’t just say something like that and not finish the story.”

“We’ll regale you with the stories during the tour. Afterward, we’ll search for the photo books so you can see how cute we used to be,” Kaoru preened.

“Too bad you’ve grown out of it,” Coco teased.

Kaoru poked her ribs, making her giggle. “Ooo, now you’ve asked for it,” he murmured, chasing her as she tried to get away.

<OHSHC>

Kyoya tapped lightly on the door to the Security Office. Tachibana looked up and gestured for him to enter. “What can I do for you, Kyoya-san?” he asked.

“I want to discuss security at university for this next year. There will be more of us, including the young ladies.”

“True, we need to add the Beringar sisters to the roster of responsibility.”

Kyoya nodded. “We should have them keep an eye on Reiko and Chiharu as well.”

“Haruhi and I discussed that along with her security before her graduation. She wanted to make sure she could get a room in the dormitory next to the library. The university was able to accommodate her because of the prompt request. Fortunately, two of the female housekeeping security staff want to get their degrees in law enforcement. They were able to get assigned to the dormitory room next to Haruhi and her roommate, Shiori Nanjo.”

“Dormitory? Haruhi will be living in the dormitory?” Kyoya’s voice was tight. “I just bought the apartment building where most of us have been living. I anticipated she would be living there.”

Tachibana looked at him thoughtfully. “You need to discuss that with her. Right now, let’s discuss the security arrangements for the apartment building. You can talk to Haruhi after she returns from shopping with Ryoji.”

They spent the next hour talking about security for the apartment building, guards for all those associated with the Hinan family, staff members who wanted to pursue university degrees, and additional staffing for Hinansho.

<OHSHC>

Shima noticed that Rene did not come down to breakfast so she went upstairs to check on him. There was a soft “Come in” in answer to her knock on the door. She entered to find the lights off and Rene sitting in an armchair staring at the floor.

“Sorry I missed breakfast. I got distracted,” he said, his voice falsely bright.

Shima walked up and placed a comforting had on his shoulder. “You don’t need to be strong for us. You need to grieve for the loss of your mother. She may have died nearly two years ago, but you just found out. It’s okay to cry.”

With that support and permission, Rene allowed himself to break into sobs.

<OHSHC>

Since Ryoji was working, Haruhi decided to invite the others over for dinner. Kyoya asked if he could help with preparations so they could have some time alone together. She welcomed his help and companionship.

An hour before the time set for dinner, Kyoya arrived with a serious look on his face. Haruhi was a little confused by his expression when she answered the door at his knock.

They washed their hands and then started preparing dinner of rice and steamed salmon with a salad. Kyoya rinsed the rice and poured it in to the rice cooker with the appropriate amount of water. Because they were preparing dinner for so many, the salmon had to be cooked separately in a multi-level steamer.

Haruhi watched him as she prepared the vegetables for the salad. “ _He has something on his mind. It’s a good thing this dinner is mostly just prepare and wait_.” She finished making the salad and placed it in the refrigerator to chill.

After Kyoya finished wiping down the counter, Haruhi asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“What precisely is ‘it’ that I would want to talk about?” he answered stiffly.

She walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and laying her head between his shoulder blades. “Whatever is bothering you.”

He hung his head for a moment. Then he turned in her arms and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Why didn’t you tell me you made arrangements to live in the dormitory at university?”

Haruhi hit her forehead with the heel of her hand. “I was going to tell you before we left on the trip, but everything got so busy…”

“But why the dormitory? I guess I expected you to get an apartment in the same building as the rest of us,” he interrupted, pulling away.

She took his hand and pulled him into the living room to sit on the sofa next to her. “I was looking at a campus map and noticed how close the dormitory is to the library. On the other hand, the apartment building is on the other side of campus. You know how I lose track of time when I’m in a library and my major will require a lot of time there.”

“Your point?” he asked dryly.

“Safety. It’s less than one hundred meters of well-lit path from the library to the dormitory. The path from the library to the apartment building is a quarter mile containing several sections without lights and at least four potential ambush points,” she detailed.

“I see you had Tachibana do a tactical analysis,” Kyoya teased.

“Actually, it was Hotta. Tachibana was with you at the time.” Haruhi laughed. “It’s not that I don’t want to live in the same building with everyone else, it’s just impractical.”

“Okay, I concede defeat on the safety issue. But what about your roommate? Do you know who she is?” There was a look of worry on his face.

Haruhi snuggled close to his side. “The university already gave me her name and contact information. Her name is Shiori Nanjo and she attended St. Roberia’s Girls Academy. You would probably remember her older sister, Akina, who attended Ouran and was a frequent Host Club guest.”

“I wonder why she didn’t attend Ouran?” Kyoya mused.

Haruhi replied, “I asked her that. She said she was tired of forever following in her ‘perfect’ older sister’s footsteps”

“She wasn’t part of the Zuka Club, was she?” Kyoya asked, shivering at the thought.

“No, she thought they were way too over the top to be of any interest.” She waited for a minute to see if Kyoya had any more questions or objections before she asked, “So, are we good with my living in the dorm?”

He looked at her in surprise and then his expression melted into understanding. “Yes, we’re good. I’m sorry I was so moody about it. I just felt left out of the decision making.”

Haruhi hummed, “Didn’t like that dose of your own medicine?”

“Point taken.” He pulled her into his lap and kissed her gently. “Forgive me?”

“Of course,” she replied before kissing him passionately.

Before their makeout session could progress any further, there was a knock at the door. Reluctantly, Haruhi disentangled herself from Kyoya and got up to answer it.

Mitsukuni was bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. “Took you long enough. Did we interrupt something?” he asked with a smirk, waggling his eyebrows.

Haruhi blushed slightly, but refused to rise to his bait. “Come on in, everyone. Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes.”

<OHSHC>

Ryoji pouted as he watched Haruhi loading her trunk into the transport. “It’s not fair! It seems like you just got home and now you’re leaving me again.”

“Dad, it’s been five weeks. Classes start next Monday and I need to get settled,” Haruhi explained again.

“I know,” he huffed. “It’s just so hard to see my Baby Girl so grown up and moving out on her own.”

Haruhi wrapped him in a hug. “I know it’s hard. Just remember that I still love you.”

He tried and failed to stop the tears as he held her tightly. The others gathered around and Kyoya said, “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of her.”

“More like she’ll take care of all of you,” Ryoji muttered as he released his daughter.

Estee, Coco, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Rene all subconsciously felt a wave of jealousy at the affection Ryoji was showing Haruhi. He caught their expressions and thought, “ _They don’t have parents anymore, but they still need love and encouragement. I can give them that.”_ Then he promptly made the rounds, hugging and encouraging each of the young people leaving for university.

Fuyumi was hugging Kyoya when she noticed what Ryoji was doing and decided to followed suit. She called out, “If any of you need someone to talk to, feel free to call me.”

Tachibana and Atsuhiro finished loading the luggage while the group finished saying their goodbyes.

“Okay, Dad, we’ve already set up a schedule for you to come to dinner at the apartments once a month,” Haruhi assured him. She gave him one last hug before climbing into the vehicle.

As the transport pulled through the gate of Hinansho on the way to university, Haruhi stared out the window. Kyoya laid a hand on her knee and squeezed it. “He’ll be okay.”

She sighed. “I know. He’s just been dependent on me for thirteen years. I feel like I’m deserting him.”

Takashi looked at her. “Ryoji needs to realize that he can’t depend on you forever. In a way, he’s still stuck at the point in time when your mother died.”

“He needs to find a way to face his grief and move forward,” Rene added. “Don’t you have a psychology course this term? Maybe you could talk to your professor about some suggestions.”

“I’ll think about it,” Haruhi murmured.

“So, who’s getting dropped off first?” Mitsukuni asked.

Tachibana replied from the front seat, “We’re stopping at the apartments first. That way, if Haruhi’s roommate is in when we get there, we can invite her to join us for lunch.”

“Are you sure you want to live in the dormitory, Haruhi?” Hikaru asked. “You’ll be so far away from all the fun with the rest of us.”

Haruhi turned to Kyoya and said, “There’s another good reason for me to live in the dorm.” To Hikaru, she said, “Kyoya and I have already discussed the matter and it’s settled. It’s not like I’ll be living in Kyoto. I’m just across campus.”

“When are Oto and Ataru moving in?” Kaoru inquired.

Kyoya replied, “They moved in yesterday. I promised them a campus tour this afternoon when we’re all settled.”

“Can we get in on that tour?” Estee asked as Coco nodded in agreement.

“Of course. I anticipated that we would all tour the campus together,” Kyoya responded, chuckling. He turned to Takashi and Mitsukuni. “Have Chiharu and Reiko already moved in?”

“Chiharu moved in last week. The tension at home was getting to her. Her family was not very supportive of her decision to change majors. Her father has been pressuring her to reconsider,” Takashi stated, anger coloring his tone.

Haruhi patted his hand. “We support her decision.”

“And not just because it benefits Hinansho,” Kaoru teased, holding up his hands to ward off the swat Haruhi aimed in his direction.

Mitsukuni said, “I helped Reiko move in the day before yesterday. She finally finished planting all her seeds and cuttings in the greenhouse at the other farm.”

Hikaru winked at Mitsukuni. “Did you two have fun playing house while you were there?”

The blond blushed and refused to answer.

The vehicle stopped and Tachibana opened the door. “We’re here.”

“That was fast,” Rene remarked.

“Let’s make quick work of this so we can go see Haruhi’s room,” Coco said.

They just finished unloading everything but Haruhi’s luggage when Reiko, Chiharu, and the six-member security detail came out of the building.

One of the security officers called, “Hikaru, Kaoru, Estee, and Coco please come with me so we can finish your paperwork and get your keys.”  
  


Chiharu took a seat on the edge of the open cargo hatch. “I’ll wait here to watch the transport and luggage while you all carry things in. I sprained my ankle and the doctor told me to stay off it as much as possible for the next week.”

It didn’t take long before the luggage was in the correct apartments and everyone was ready to head to Haruhi’s dorm room.

Thankfully, Haruhi didn’t have much luggage because the closest parking to the dormitory was on the far side of the library. It was easiest to leave the transport parked at the apartment building and carry her things across campus. Mitsukuni helped Haruhi tote her trunk while Kyoya brought her security case, and Takashi carried Chiharu.

“You didn’t bring very much, did you?” Hikaru commented.

Haruhi chuckled. “You’d be surprised how much I have packed in this trunk. Except for summer clothes, my entire wardrobe is in there. Of course, I had my textbooks delivered to my dorm so I didn’t have to worry about packing them.”

Hikaru shook his head sadly and lamented, “If your entire wardrobe is in there, we have some serious work to do.”

“My wardrobe is just fine thank you very much,” Haruhi stated. “Kyoya and Mitsukuni, please come with me. The rest of you wait here. I need to pick up my keys, leave my things in my room, and see if Shiori has arrived. When we get back, we’ll all head to the restaurant for lunch. Fuyumi already reserved the largest private dining room.”

Kaoru pouted, “Why do those two get to go with you and not us?”

“They are carrying my things and I don’t want to scare my roommate off the first day by inundating her with this crowd before I have a chance to offer her lunch,” Haruhi said waving her hand at their group.

Kyoya and Mitsukuni followed Haruhi as she went to the dormitory office to pick up her room and mailbox keys. She was barely in the office for a minute when she was back and headed down the hall. She stopped two doors down from the office and knock.

Mitsukuni looked at her quizzically. “Do you need to pick up your keys here?”

Haruhi smiled. “No. I picked up my keys in the office, but I wanted to give my roommate fair warning before opening the door, just in case she’s not ready for company—especially male company.”

“Oh, right.” He blushed slightly.

While they were talking, the door opened and a petite young lady with long, honey-blond hair asked, “May I help you?”

Haruhi bowed and replied, “Hi, Shiori. I am your roommate, Haruhi Fujioka. This is my significant other, Kyoya Hinan, and his brother, Mitsukuni.”

“It’s good to finally put a face to the name.” Shiori stepped aside so they could bring in Haruhi’s luggage. “Though my sister, Akina, was really confused when I told her you were my roommate. The only Haruhi she knew at Ouran was a guy in the Host Club. You do look a lot like one of the Host Club members in the photobooks that she leaves scattered all over the house.”

“That’s right. Akina graduated before my gender was revealed as female last year. There’s quite a story behind that. In fact, if you’d like to come to lunch with us, we can tell it.”

Kyoya spoke up, “You better warn her that it will be more than the four of us.”

Shiori looked at him questioningly. 

“Their other four brothers, some significant others, two translators, and a couple security personnel will also be joining us,” Kyoya clarified.

“Quite the crowd you travel in. Are there any restaurants around here that can accommodate that size group?” Shiori asked.

“Don’t worry. We have a private dining room reserved at our favorite restaurant not far from campus,” Haruhi assured her.

Shiori smiled. “In that case, I would love to have lunch with you and meet everyone. It will be good to know people around campus.”

Mitsukuni grinned. “And we have lots of stories to tell you.”

<OHSHC>

Over the next few months, Shiori was included in a number of the activities with the Hinan family. She enjoyed the weekend dinners at the apartments and the outings to local fairs as part of the group. Because all the other Hinan brothers had significant others, Rene hosted Shiori during the activities.

Before they knew it, Halloween was approaching. Three weeks before the day, posters started appearing all over campus advertising a huge costume contest. That weekend, it was Hikaru and Kaoru’s turn to host dinner. They decided to make nikujaga, since the stew could easily feed their crowd by adding more meat and potatoes.

After everyone had a bowl of stew, Hikaru stood up and brandished a copy of the costume contest flyer. “I think we should participate in the group costume for this,” he announced.

“Do you have any ideas for a group this size?” Coco asked with interest.

“And balanced? Most of the group cosplays out there are reverse harems,” Haruhi added. “I should know. I read enough of those to Kirimi back at Ouran.”

“What about Mei-chan’s Bulter?” Takashi suggested. “That could work since each girl has to have a butler.”

Kaoru thought about it for a moment. “That could work. Haruhi could be Mei because she has the short hair. That would make Kyoya Rihito.”

“I can see Takashi as Daimon with Chiharu as Miruku,” Mitsukuni offered.

“Then Mitsukuni and I could be Rin and Yotsuya. I have just the beads for us to use,” Reiko said excitedly.

“I can be Rihito’s brother, Kento. The butler-in-training for Shiori’s Rika,” Rene offered, bowing to his intended partner for the cosplay.

Haruhi thought for a moment. “That leaves the twins and the Beringar sisters.”

“I want to be Fujiko to Hikaru’s Nezu,” Estee declared, cuddling up to Hikaru’s side.

“Then I can be Izumi and Kaoru can be Kiba,” Coco stated, patting Kaoru’s knee..

Kyoya chuckled. “Well, it sounds like we have a plan. About the costumes…” He looked to Hikaru.

“Not a problem. I can take the measurements later and send them off to my cosplay division. They should have everything we need.”

<OHSHC>

When Halloween arrived, it appeared that nearly everyone on campus decided to participate in the costume contest. Everywhere they looked there were zombies, werewolves, superheroes, cartoon characters, and many others. Some were extremely elaborate, while others were as simple as a t-shirt that read, “This is my costume.” Even some of the professors got into the spirit of the holiday and dressed up.

When the group met up after classes, Mitsukuni said, “I wonder if we have a chance of winning the group category in the costume contest? There have been a lot of amazing costumes today.”

“I’m just glad we could all do this together,” Reiko responded.

“So, what are we going to do for dinner?” Coco asked, looking around at all the food booths that had popped up during the day.

Haruhi shrugged. “Kyoya insisted that it was his job as my butler to make all the arrangements. Do any of you guys know anything?” She looked around at the Hinan brothers. They all looked slightly guilty, like they knew something but weren’t telling.

“How would we know what Kyoya is up to?” Kaoru replied, unconvincingly.

Before Haruhi could question him further, Kyoya stepped up behind her and announced, “If you will please come with me, Mei-sama, your dinner is waiting.”

Haruhi started and turned around with her hand on her chest. “Don’t scare me like that.”

In response, he merely bowed and gestured to a roped off area where six small tables were set with sumptuous dinners and a long table off to the side held much humbler fare. “Please allow me to escort you to your table.”

Each of the other brothers escorted their ladies to their tables as well. After the men had served, the ladies dismissed them to have their own dinner at the long table. As each of the ladies finished her dinner, she called for her butler to escort her to the festivities.

Takashi got in character by picking up and carrying Chiharu. Reiko and Mitsukuni pretended to read auras with their jade beads. Hikaru and Estee draped themselves over each other.

Soon an announcer was calling over the loudspeaker, “Contestants for the costume contest please make your way to the central stage area. We have twelve categories—scariest, most timely, cutest, most original, best superhero, best villain, best couple, needs an explanation, funniest, most technologically advanced, most creative, and best group. Please register in the category you wish to compete.”

The Hinans and friends made their way to the staging area and signed up for the best group category. There were only ten entries and most contained four or five people.

Because the groups were being judged last, there was plenty of time to admire and discuss the other costume categories. Hikaru was even taking notes about some of the creative touches used. “Who knew tonight would turn out to be a great place for market research?” he mumbled to himself.

Kaoru turned to Haruhi and said, “Just look at what you and Kyoya have done. Now he’s working during our fun times. You’re such a corrupting influence.” He dramatically tilted his head back and laid his arm across his forehead.

“They’re not giving any awards for acting,” Takashi teased as Kaoru pretended to slump to the ground in mortification.

“You have to admit, there are some great costumes here tonight,” Mitsukuni noted.

Rene turned to Shiori. “Are you having fun? I know we can be a bit much at times.”

Shiori smiled at him. “This is the most fun I’ve had on Halloween in a long time. Thanks for including me.”

“You are most welcome,” Rene replied, bowing over her hand.

Finally, the judges were ready for the group category. After much deliberation, the award was given to a sextet dressed as the Avengers.

“Well, that was disappointing,” Kaoru commented.

Hikaru responded, “Well, you have to admit they look great. In fact, I have got to ask them where they got their outfits. I’ll be right back.”

“We’ll meet you back at the apartments,” Estee called to him as she left with the group.

“Don’t take too long Hikaru. We want to have time to watch the movie,” Coco said.

“And I want snacks,” Mitsukuni added.

<OHSHC>

Haruhi was packing a few things in her satchel when Shiori entered their room. “Leaving soon?” she asked.

Shiori looked at her luggage by the door. “The chauffeur will be here in five minutes to help carry my bags to the car.” She sat on her bed and flipped through a magazine.

“Anything wrong?”

Tossing the magazine aside, Shiori answered, “I’m not looking forward to this trip. It’s all for Akina as a reward for her modeling contract. I made top marks in all my classes and all I get is a ‘that’s nice’ from my mother. Akina and my father never even acknowledged me.”

Haruhi looked at her with understanding. “Just remember that you’re invited to drop in any time for the Open House at Hinansho from December 26th through the 28th.”

“I’ll try, if we make it back from Australia in time.” The was a sharp knock on the door. Shiori opened it and the chauffeur was waiting. He silently stepped inside and picked up Shiori’s luggage.

“Have a good Winter Break” Haruhi called as her roommate and the chauffeur headed out the door.

Alone in the room, Haruhi quickly cleaned it in preparation for being away for the two weeks of Winter Break. “ _I hope she has a good time. I wish I could convince her to think more about what she wants out of her life, rather than comparing it to her sister’s.”_

Several minutes later, she nodded in satisfaction, surveying the tidy room. The was a knock on the door and she answered it to find Kyoya leaning on the door frame. “You about ready?” he inquired with a smirk.

“Just let me grab my satchel.” She snagged the strap from the back of her chair. On the way out the door, she turned off the lights and made sure the door was locked.

“I can’t wait to get to Hinansho,” Kyoya said as he took her hand.

Haruhi kissed him on the cheek and replied, “Me, too. It’s going to be so much fun to be home with everyone and no homework to think about.”


	27. Jealousy Rears Its Ugly Head

Haruhi returned to her dorm room the day before classes started following Winter Break. Shiori was lounging on her bed idly flipping through a fashion magazine. “How was your break?” Haruhi asked.

Shiori tossed her magazine to the side. “It was all ‘Akina this’ and ‘Akina that’. The only bright spot was our brother, Wataru, returned from America where he was attending university.”

“It’s always good when family comes home.” Haruhi hung her satchel on the back of her chair before sitting cross-legged on the bed. “We missed you at the Open House.”

“Akina wanted to stay in Sydney for the New Year’s celebration, so we didn’t get back until January 3rd.” Shiori’s phone rang. When she looked at the caller, she said, “I need some privacy for this call.”

“No problem. I feel the need to take a walk anyway. See you later.”

Haruhi was feeling restless. She’d had fun during break, but she was ready to get back into classes. Since there was no one around, she decided to run through her karate forms. Mitsukuni and Takashi had expressed their disappointment during break when they found out she had not been keeping up with practicing regularly.

She was almost done when a rough hand grabbed her arm. She responded instinctively, flipping the person attached to the hand onto the ground and kneeling on his sternum. Recognizing an upperclassman who had started making indecent advances to her during the Halloween party, she flipped him on his face. Leveraging one of his arms to hold him in place, she planted her foot in the middle of his back and pulled out her phone to call the campus police.

Minutes later the security team from the dorm and the campus police arrive from different directions. When the officers arrived, they were puzzled by the tableau before them. A petite brunette had a man twice her size immobilized on the ground. “You called for campus police?” one officer asked.

“Get this maniac off me,” the man yelled. “I didn’t do anything. She just attacked me out of nowhere.”

Ignoring his rants, Haruhi calmly answered the officer, “I was working through my karate forms when he grabbed me. I reacted on instinct.”

“Was he threatening in any way?” the officer inquired.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” the man protested. “I just wanted to ask her out on a date. She studies all the time so I figured she didn’t have any friends.”

The taller woman of the security team snorted with laughter. “How drunk were you on Halloween? I happen to know that every one of the Hinan brothers as well as all four of the men on our security team each had a private discussion with you.”

“I thought they were just blowing smoke because they wanted to get into her pants too,” he whined.

It took all of Haruhi’s control not to wrench his arm. “You are very lucky you didn’t say that to Kyoya.”

“How do you know I didn’t?” the man sneered.

“Because you haven’t disappeared,” Haruhi said through clenched teeth.

The campus officers decided that it was time to step in. “That’s enough. We’ll need you both to come back to the office to give statements.”

With a nod from one of the security team, Haruhi reluctantly released him. Security immediately took up station on either side of her. “Forgive us for being late coming to your aid, Fujioka-san.”

Haruhi gave her a look and she corrected herself, “Forgive us for being late coming to your aid, **Haruhi**.” To that, Haruhi smiled and nodded.

The campus police officers helped the man to his feet. His glare at Haruhi was a mixture of rage and lust, rubbing his shoulder. Reluctantly he followed the officers back to their office.

When they reached their destination, the campus officers were surprised that the security team had come as well. “You can go. We’ll take care of this matter.”

“We are here to give our statements as well,” said the shorter woman on Haruhi’s security team.

“What statement? You arrived the same time we did.”

She stood up to her full height of five foot and said authoritatively, “We were watching from a distance and saw the whole scene. It only took us so long to arrive because we were searching the area for his four friends that are usually with him.”

“See, they were stalking me,” the young man accused as he rubbed his sore shoulder.

Before the accusations could continue, one of the campus officers said, “Let’s just write this off as a misunderstanding and leave here as friends.”

Haruhi’s expression was hard as she looked the officer in the eye. “Attempted sexual assault is no ‘misunderstanding.’ It is a crime and I demand that you treat it as such.”

“Just because he wanted to ask you for a date doesn’t…”

Haruhi didn’t let him finish his sentence. “I reported the Halloween incident as well as several subsequent encounters that occurred while I was moving between classes on campus. All of them have been indecent proposals with threats. If you refuse to take this seriously, I will be forced to file suit against the university, and the campus police in particular. I have put up with this for three months. Nothing has been done and here you are dismissing—no, condoning his behavior.”

The campus officer held up his hands in a placating gesture. “There’s no need to blow this out of proportion.”

Haruhi turned to the taller of her security team. “Please repeat what you learned in your criminal justice class the week before Winter Break.”

“Certainly,” she acquiesced. “We were discussing the double standard that currently exists in the justice system. Sexual assault was one of the glaring examples. The professor asked that everyone be honest in their responses and assured us that she was available to anyone that needed to talk after class.

“She asked if anyone knew the crime statistics for the campus for the prior year. One of the men in the class said there had been some petty thefts and vandalism, but nothing else. While she waited to see if anyone wanted to add anything, she pulled up the actual statistics on the computer. The data showed the petty crimes mentioned, but the majority of the reported crimes were sexual assaults

“Next the professor turned to the class and stated, ‘I emphasize **reported crimes** for a reason. There are a lot of sexual assaults that are not reported. Why? There are several reasons victims don’t report the assaults—they get blamed, threatened, or shamed. By far the most common reason the assaults go unreported is because people in authority refuse to believe it’s happening. They dismiss it as ‘boys-will-be-boys’ or ‘just a misunderstanding,’ leaving the person victimized twice.’

“Then she asked the hardest question. ‘How many of you have been the victim of an assault, reported or otherwise?’ It was eye-opening when half the class raised their hands, including two of the men. That was probably even more surprising than the sheer number. And I was one of those who raised my hand. My assault was not reported because the perpetrators threatened to do the same to my six and nine year old sisters if I said anything.

“It’s ironic that my unreported assault is actually the reason I am part of Haruhi’s security team here at university. After the assault that I couldn’t tell anyone about, I enrolled in a course at the Haninozuka Dojo. Not long after I finished my training, I was contacted about a job as a maid at Hinansho. Apparently, the Hinan family had connections with the Haninozukas and wanted all their personnel to have security training.

“Last year, I expressed an interest in getting my degree in Law Enforcement. The Hinan family took that desire seriously and made arrangements for me to get my degree while also providing security for the significant other of one of the Hinan sons.”

The men just sat there with their mouths hanging open, listening to the confident young woman who said she’d been the victim of an assault. Finally, one of the campus officers said, “That has no bearing on this…”

Haruhi interrupted again. “It is precisely what this is about. Either you take this complaint seriously, or I will call Inspector Yoshinaga of the Tokyo police to take custody of the perpetrator. Then I will prefer criminal charges against him and file the lawsuit against the school.”

“But it’s just…” the officer started to say again. He paled as Haruhi pulled out her phone and started to scroll through her contacts. “You have the Inspector’s number?”

“That I do, because of another matter this past summer.”

The two campus officers exchanged a glance and then the one in charge finally said, “Would you please call him to come here? We’ve never handled anything like this before.” The other officer proceeded to place zip ties on the hands of the perpetrator who whined that it wasn’t fair.

Haruhi smiled at the two campus police officers. “If you are willing to learn, I’m sure the Inspector can help you or assign one of his men.” Stepping as far away as possible, she tapped on Inspector Yoshinaga’s phone number and waited for him to answer.

After a brief conversation, she moved closer to the group again. “He and two officers will be here in about five minutes to take statements, brief you, and take custody of the prisoner.”

Although restrained, the man tried to lunge at Haruhi, growling “You can’t do this! You have no right!”

“I have every right to defend myself,” Haruhi said coldly as she turned her back to ignore him.

After the Inspector and his officers arrived, they took charge, and everything was settled in short order. One of the officers would be left to help the campus police update their procedures for dealing with these types of situations.

Before she and the security team left, Haruhi told the campus police officers, “I’m glad I didn’t need to file a lawsuit for this. I’m busy enough as it is. If the administration gives you any problems, please let me know.”

“Shall we escort you back to the dorm?” the taller of the security team asked.

Haruhi shook her head. “We need to head to the apartments. You’ll need to report this to your supervisor and I need to tell Kyoya. You know how he can be if I don’t inform him of incidents like this right away.”

As the three young women walked across campus, they were ambushed by the four friends of the man who had just been arrested. After the men were subdued, the shorter security officer asked gleefully, “May I call campus police? This should give them practice with their new procedures.”

“Go ahead. I doubt they have those new procedures ready, but there’s no time like the present,” Haruhi agreed.

A few minutes later Inspector Yoshinaga arrived with the two campus officers. They took custody of the four men who were protesting loudly that they were innocent and the three women had attacked them.

As the perpetrators were led away, the shorter security officer mused, “Well, I guess we have more to report to our supervisor.”

Haruhi chuckled. “And I have more to tell Kyoya. It’s probably a good thing he doesn’t have access to the Otori Black Onion Squad anymore. Otherwise, those five would disappear in the next twenty-four hours never to be heard from again.”

The taller security officer said tentatively, “Hey, Haruhi. Could I use that tactical analysis of the campus that Hotta did before your high school graduation?”

“Sure. I think it’s in my security box back in my room. Any particular reason?”

“I have a project coming up in one of my classes. It requires preparing security recommendations for a vulnerable location. The spot those four just attacked us was one of the four ambush points Hotta marked on the campus map. I want to create recommendations for making the campus safer, including more lighting and security camera placements. Hopefully, it will be good enough to present to the administration to get some of these problems addressed.”

Patting her shoulder, Haruhi replied, “That is an excellent idea. I’ll give you Hotta’s report when we get back to the dorm. First, we have to face your supervisor and my significant other.”

<OHSHC>

After Shiori finished her phone call with her brother, she flopped back on her bed to continue perusing the fashion magazine. She was interrupted by a knock on the door. She answered it to find one of the most popular junior men. “Can I help you?” she practically purred.

“Is Haruhi here? I know classes don’t start until tomorrow, but I have some questions about the assignment in the law class we have together.”

Shiori huffed. “She went out for a walk and hasn’t returned yet.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll try to catch her later.”

Shiori leaned on the door frame and watched as he walked away, not closing the door until he was out of sight. “ _Why does she get all the attention? There are always people coming to ask her about classes or assignments. And most of them are cute guys who won’t give me the time of day_.”

She’d barely gotten settled when there was another knock. When she opened the door this time, it was the center for the university’s men’s basketball team. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” she simpered, looking him up and down appreciatively.

He blushed at her forward tone and stare. “Usually I find Haruhi in the library, but it’s closed today. Is she here?” he asked almost timidly.

“She’s not here right now. Would you like to come in and wait for her?” Shiori purred.

“No thanks,” he replied hurriedly, backing away with his hands in front of him. “I’ll just see her in class tomorrow.” Then he turned and ran out of the dorm.

“ _Life is sooo unfair_ ,” she whined to herself as she settled comfortably on her bed again. “ _She’s not all that attractive, but she has the gorgeous boyfriend, all of his brothers, and so many of the handsome men on campus vying for her attention. I’m prettier than she is…and a lot more fun. Why aren’t they fawning over me instead of her?”_

<OHSHC>

“Let’s report the incidents to your supervisor first,” Haruhi suggested as they approached the apartment building.

“Delaying tactic to postpone telling Kyoya what happened?” the shorter security officer teased.

Haruhi blushed slightly. “No, not really. It only makes sense to start there because he is on the first floor. Kyoya is on the second.”

Haruhi’s part in the briefing for the supervisor took less than ten minutes. He would contact the inspector later for a copy of the police report for his files.

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi climbed the stairs and headed to Kyoya and Rene’s apartment. She knocked softly.

Kyoya opened the door. “What a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting to see you again until tomorrow. Just couldn’t stay away?” he teased.

He led her to the living room and they sat down on the sofa. She was quiet for a moment before she said, “There was a little incident, and I knew you would want to hear about it right away.”

“Are you okay? What kind of incident?” Kyoya asked anxiously.

She proceeded to explain about her roommate wanting privacy for a phone call and all that followed. “I’m okay and the security team is fine. Most importantly, five dangerous men are behind bars and the campus police should take the reports more seriously now.”

Kyoya pulled her into his lap and hugged her fiercely. “I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you.”

“Well, that is the reason I have had Mitsukuni and Takashi training me in martial arts. It was kind of funny that the guy grabbed me when I was just about finished with my karate forms. They are clearly recognizable so he should have known I could defend myself.” She stroked his cheek as she kissed him gently.

He returned her kiss and then leaned his forehead against hers. They were interrupted by a knock at the door. When Kyoya opened it, Haruhi’s security team was waiting.

“If you’re ready to return to the dorm, Haruhi, we have completed our report.”

Reluctantly, Kyoya kissed her goodbye. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good evening.”

When they finally reached the dorm and Haruhi went to her room, Shiori was out. She unlocked her security case and found the map with Hotta’s notes on it. “Here you are. I hope it’s useful to you.”

“Do you want it back when I’m done?”

“No. I’ve memorized all his warnings and trouble spots.”

“Thanks. Have a good night.”

“You too.” After Haruhi closed the door, she leaned against it. “ _It’s been a busy day. I think I’ll put things away and then get ready for bed._ ”

<OHSHC>

Classes resumed and so did their routine, until February. Rene, Hikaru, Kaoru, Estee, and Coco were all having trouble concentrating in class and didn’t feel like doing anything in the evenings. Kyoya, Haruhi, Reiko, and Chiharu gathered in Mitsukuni and Takashi’s apartment.

Haruhi sighed, “It’s hard seeing them like this. I know it’s because the anniversary of their parents’ death is approaching. I still feel a little like that around the anniversary of my mother’s death, and she’s been gone for fourteen years. It’s still fresh and raw for them.”

“We need to spend the weekend at Hinansho,” Takashi stated.

“He’s right,” Mitsukuni agreed. “We need to spend the time together, especially sleeping together. Kyoya, would you check with Fuyumi to see what Ageha’s grief counselor would say about her joining us this year.”

Reiko looked thoughtful. Finally she said, “Do you have any idea what they might think about setting up a memorial at Hinansho? That way they wouldn’t have to travel all the way to London and Paris to pay their respects.”

“We should ask them,” Chiharu commented. “I think it’s a good idea.”

Kyoya nodded in agreement. “Let’s wait and ask them during Friday night dinner at Hinansho.”

“All our classes on Friday finish by one o’clock, right?” Haruhi confirmed, looking around for nods.

Takashi spoke up, “I’ll make arrangements for Atsuhiro to pick us up and let Kairi know we’ll be there for dinner.”

“Sounds like we have a plan,” Mitsukuni stated. “Now let’s eat.”

<OHSHC>

The group gathered in Rene’s apartment at Hinansho. “Thank you all for suggesting this weekend. I didn’t realize how hard the anniversary of my mother’s death was going to be on me.”

“Thanks for letting me come too,” Ageha piped up. She was curled up between Hikaru and Kaoru who were holding hands with Estee and Coco.

Haruhi said softly, “We’re all here for you guys. My experience gives me an idea of what you all are going through.”

Kyoya stepped up behind Haruhi and wrapped his arms around her waist. “The six of us have something we’d like to discuss with the six of you.”

“Is something wrong?” Rene asked timidly.

Takashi assured him, “There’s nothing wrong. We wanted to ask you if you would like to have a memorial marker erected here at Hinansho to commemorate your parents so you don’t have to travel all the way to London and Paris.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Ageha said excitedly, jumping up and dancing around the room. “That would be perfect.”

The other five were so stunned that they could just nod their heads with tears running down their faces. Estee buried her face in Hikaru’s chest and he buried his face in her hair. Kaoru drew Coco into a hug and rubbed gentle circles on her back.

Ageha ran to Rene, grabbed his hand, and shouted, “Come on, Milord. Let’s go find the perfect place for it.”

Her actions snapped Rene out of his stupor. “Well, it’s a little dark and dinner will be here soon. Why don’t we save that adventure for tomorrow after breakfast. That way we have all day to explore Hinansho to find the perfect spot.”

“Okay,” she agreed, throwing her arms around his waist and giving him a big hug.

“I think they like the idea,” Reiko murmured with a smile.

<OHSHC>

The group returned to campus early Monday morning because they wanted to spend Sunday night together just like they had Friday and Saturday. Ageha had a fun weekend with them, but she was ready to go back to hanging out with people her own age.

When Atsuhiro dropped them off at the apartment building, Kyoya said, “I’m going to walk Haruhi to her dorm.”

“I want to come too,” Rene insisted. The others expressed their desire to accompany them as well.

Haruhi huffed. “Okay, you can all come. Just remember to be quiet. There are probably a lot of people still sleeping.”

The group enjoyed a pleasant stroll. Takashi commented, “This path is much improved. They’ve pruned the shrubs to eliminate hiding places, as well as added lights and security cameras.”

“I am so glad the university took the recommendations from one of my security team. She received top marks on that assignment.” Haruhi said proudly.

When they reached the dorm, Kyoya insisted that the others wait outside. “People are sleeping and the more of us trooping around in there, the noisier it will be. I’ll be right back.”

Kyoya walked Haruhi to her door and waited for her to unlock it. Before she went in, he pulled her into a hug and kissed her gently on the forehead. “Have a good day. I’ll see you in the library this afternoon.”

“Bye,” she whispered, kissing him on the cheek before slipping into her room and closing the door.

She was quietly unpacking her overnight bag when she was startled by Shiori’s voice demanding accusingly, “Where were you all weekend?”

Unperturbed, Haruhi continued to unpack as she replied, “I left you a note. We went to Hinansho. The twins wanted to see their sister since it was the anniversary of their parents’ death.”

“What does that have to do with you?” her roommate sniped.

Turning to face Shiori, Haruhi tilted her head, confused by the animosity from her roommate. She answered, “They are my friends and I was there to support them…we all went.”

“Okay, whatever.” She threw on her bathrobe, grabbed her bathroom bag, and stomped out of the room.

Haruhi shrugged and laid out her outfit for the day, checked to be sure all her textbooks and notes were in her satchel, and then gathered her bathroom necessities. Just as she was about to open the door, Shiori returned.

“Look, sorry I was so grouchy. There was a constant stream of guys knocking on the door looking for you this weekend.”

“I wonder why. I told all my study groups that I would be away from campus all weekend.”

“Maybe it has something to do with Valentine’s Day this week. What will we be doing?”

Haruhi gathered her things to head to the bathroom. “You could probably go to one of the campus mixers or something,” she offered. “We haven’t planned anything because switching from mourning to romance in such a short period of time is just too hard for us right now.”

“Oh, okay,” Shiori said offhandedly.

<OHSHC>

“I’m headed out to the mixer, Haruhi,” Shiori called as she checked her hair and makeup in the mirror. “Are you sure you don’t want to come too?”

“Thanks, but I have dinner plans with Reiko and Chiharu,” Haruhi replied. “Anyway, Kyoya is out with his brothers and the Beringar sisters.”

Shiori sounded confused when she asked, “Your significant other is out with someone else on Valentine’s Day and you’re okay with that?”

“The Beringars, the twins, and Rene are interviewing a number of designers, artists, and stone masons about a memorial to their parents to be placed at Hinansho. Kyoya, Mitsukuni, and Takashi have the contacts, so they went along to do the introductions.”

“Well, I probably won’t get back until late, so don’t wait up,” Shiori said in a singsong voice as she slipped into a long coat and headed out the door.

Haruhi pulled on her heavy coat and grabbed her satchel to head across campus to the apartments. “ _I’m glad Reiko and Chiharu invited me over to study and have dinner with them. I dread thinking about how many guys might show up at my door tonight. Kyoya and I have not made a secret of our relationship and I keep telling people I have a significant other, but they just won’t listen._ ” 

She took a deep breath and enjoyed the brisk chill in the air. Then she started her walk across campus. By the time she reached the apartment building, she had been stopped six times by guys wanting her to go out with them. Each time, she turned them down politely by stating she already had a significant other.

Just before she opened the front door of the apartment building, the pitcher for the university baseball team grabbed her arm and said, “I’m taking you out to dinner and then we’ll go back to my place for some fun.”

Growling in frustration, she grabbed his hand, twisted his arm around and held it in the middle of his back while pushing his chest up against the wall. “I have had it with you guys who think they can just order women around. I’ve told you ‘No’ before, but you don’t seem to want to take that for an answer.”

Two of the security team from the apartment building appeared at her elbow. One said, “We’ll take it from here. What are your orders?”

She glared at him for phrasing it that way and he just smirked at her. Shaking her head at the teasing, she stated, “Contact the police and have him charged with attempted sexual assault. I will be with Reiko and Chiharu if they need my statement.”

“No need. We will just give them a copy of the security footage. His intent and threat were clear. He’s been waiting here for at least fifteen minutes muttering about, ‘She said she’d be here. I don’t have all night’ as he paced back and forth.”

Relaxing slightly, she smiled her thanks, commenting, “That explains how you got out here so fast without my having to call. Thanks.”

“Not that you really needed our help. Mitsukuni and Takashi would be proud of you. Very nice technique.”

“Okay, now you’re just being silly. If you have a chance, see if you can impress upon him the need for manners. I know you’re not miracle workers but give it a try.” She gave the security officer a smile and patted his arm.

The young man paled as the security personnel looked at him with matching feral grins. “We’ll give him a lesson in etiquette while we wait for the police to arrive. Don’t you worry.”

Haruhi laughed. “Just remember to play nice. I’ll let you know when I want an escort home.”

“Have a good evening.”

A few minutes later, Reiko opened the door to the apartment she shared with Chiharu. “Well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence instead of chatting with security,” she teased.

When Haruhi looked puzzled, Chiharu clarified, “We saw the whole thing from the window. You were taking so long we decided to see if we could locate you coming across campus. Quite the flock of admirers you have.”

Haruhi groaned. “You saw all of those? Did you see the idiot at the door downstairs?”

“Oh, yes. It was fun watching you deflate his ego. I’m sure he didn’t expect to spend his Valentine’s Day getting beaten up by a girl and spending the night in jail,” Reiko said. “Serves him right.”

“Now let’s forget about all that. Dinner is ready. Then I have questions about some legal issues in one of my management class assignments.”

<OHSHC>

It was barely nine o’clock when Shiori returned to the dorm room. She was livid about what happened at the mixer. “ _I cannot believe that I spend the whole time answering questions about Akina and Haruhi. Nobody cared about me. I’m just as beautiful as Akina and much prettier than Haruhi. No one would dance with me except that sleazy jerk and his friends who only did it because they had a bet who could get their hand the farthest up my skirt_.” 

She threw her coat haphazardly across the desk and kicked her shoes off hard enough to hit the wall on the other side of the room. In her fit of anger, she tore her dress as she pulled it off. “That’s just great,” she growled to herself.

After changing into her pajamas and grabbing a bathrobe, Shiori headed to the bathroom to remove her makeup and get ready for bed. 

When she returned to the room, she tried to get comfortable in bed. “ _After all the time we spent together, I had hoped Rene would confess to me today. Even though Haruhi is dating his brother, Rene pays more attention to her than he does to me. It’s just not fair._ ” She finally drifted off with the thought “ _It’s all Haruhi’s fault_ ” running through her head.

<OHSHC>

Chiharu, Reiko, and Haruhi were so engrossed in their homework that they were startled when there was a knock on the door. Chiharu looked at the time and exclaimed, “Oh my, it’s already ten o’clock. That must be security coming to walk Haruhi home.”

Reiko answered the door while Haruhi packed her books and papers back into her satchel. “Thanks for inviting me over for dinner and homework. It was a lot of fun.”

“We’ll have to do it again sometime,” Chiharu agreed.

“Oh, Kyoya. We were expecting security was ready to walk Haruhi home,” Reiko stammered.

“I’m not security, but I will be walking her home,” Kyoya smirked. “What have you three been up to?”

“Just dinner and studying,” Haruhi answered as she gave Chiharu and Reiko each a quick hug.

“Oh, really?” he drawled. “That’s not what security told me.”

“In all fairness,” Haruhi commented, “that incident happened before I entered the apartment building. Chiharu and Reiko had nothing to do with that.”

“Except watching out the window and laughing,” Chiharu teased.

Haruhi shook her head and rolled her eyes. “It must be getting late and we’re tired. We’re all acting a little silly.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Reiko interjected.

“Have a good evening, ladies,” Kyoya intoned as he offered Haruhi his arm. “Time to get you home for your beauty sleep.”

<OHSHC>

Shiori found it ironic that she saw more of Haruhi during the gatherings than she did in the dorm room. She had squashed down her resentment of Haruhi until it started festering into hatred. Just before Spring Break, she decided to confront Haruhi about the fact she was only in the dorm to sleep. Haruhi had finally come back to the room because the library had closed.

“Why are you never home?” Shiori accused. “Are you and Kyoya ‘playing house’ at his apartment all day?”

Haruhi looked at her quizzically as she stowed her satchel next to her trunk. “No. I have classes in the morning and afternoon, then I have an internship three days a week. Otherwise, a lot of my time is spent in the library. I only see Kyoya when he drives me to and from my internship. Occasionally he studies with me in the library.”

“Why aren’t you in any of the freshman classes? I thought those were mandatory for all majors,” Shiori demanded.

Shrugging, Haruhi replied, “Actually, my class standing is junior. After I finished Winter Term, I had earned enough credits to advance from sophomore to junior.”

“How is that possible?!? You’re the same age as me and you started in Fall Term just like I did.” She waved her arms wildly as she stomped around the room.

“I took challenge tests and online courses while I was still in high school. For personal reasons, I needed to take a finance course, but it had several prerequisites. The tests worked out so well that I just kept taking them.” Haruhi laid out her pajamas and grabbed her bathroom bag to head down the hall to brush her teeth before bed. “I want to be a lawyer like my mother and I’m willing to put in the hard work to achieve my goal.”

“Isn’t Kyoya intimidated by you being ahead of him in university even though he is older?” Shiori sniped.

“Actually, Kyoya is a senior and set to graduate at the end of Spring Term. Then he’ll start his MBA program,” Haruhi replied offhandedly as she headed for the bathroom.

Watching the door close behind Haruhi, Shiori seethed. “ _She’s just like Akina—the perfect little scholar with all the right friends_.”

Shiori was in bed and pretending to sleep when Haruhi returned from the bathroom. “ _I wonder why she’s feeling like this all of a sudden. Could it be she was really disappointed about Valentine’s Day? Maybe we can make it up to her with a picnic or something when the weather gets warmer, before Spring Break._ ”

Haruhi settled into bed. “ _I’d invite her to Hinansho for Spring Break but she sounded really excited about the plans she has with her brother, Wataru. Maybe the others will have some ideas,_ ” she contemplated as she drifted off to sleep.

<OHSHC>

There was a small street fair near the university the Wednesday before Spring Break and Rene insisted that they all go, including Shiori. “We’ve been studying hard for midterms. We need a break so we can come back to it fresh,” he reasoned.

“As long as we limit it to two hours,” Kyoya insisted.

“That should be plenty of time since it’s a small street fair,” Rene assured them.

They decided to go at dinner time so they could sample the available fare. Then they could look around and play games.

Haruhi had not mentioned the confrontation she and Shiori had the previous week to any of the group, not even Kyoya. _“Maybe she was just stressed with midterms and projects. It looks like things are fine now_ ,” she pondered as she watched Rene win a small bear for Shiori at a game booth.

Chiharu mentioned, “Shiori has been a good addition to our group. I know Rene felt a little lonely at times.”

“It’s been good to have someone besides Estee and Coco who never knew the Host Club,” Takashi offered.

“Yeah, fewer expectations on us. Especially since we’ve changed a lot,” Mitsukuni agreed.

At the end of their two hours, they all headed back to the apartments for a group study session in Estee and Coco’s apartment.

“It’s only fair. You guys have been hosting the dinners and other parties. It’s our turn,” Estee insisted.

Reiko called, “Be sure to set an alarm for ten so we can walk Haruhi and Shiori back to the dorm.”

“Done,” Coco called back as they all settle down to study.

Time passed quickly and the alarm rang. “Wow, time flies when you’re concentrating,” Rene observed. “It’s already time to walk Shiori and Haruhi back to the dorm.”

On the walk across campus, Shiori said, “My brother, Wataru, will be here tomorrow. Do you think we could have dinner tomorrow or lunch on Friday before we all leave for Spring Break.”

“Why not both?” Mitsukuni suggested. He looked to Takashi, who nodded in response. Then he continued, “We can have dinner tomorrow at our apartment and then lunch on Friday at the restaurant.”

“I’ll call tomorrow morning to make a reservation for the largest private dining room,” Kyoya offered.

Coco clapped her hands and said, “Sounds like we have a plan.”

Shiori smiled and said, “Thanks, guys. It means a lot that you want to meet my brother.”

“Well, we’re here,” Rene announced.

Haruhi pulled out her key and opened the door. “See you all tomorrow. Good luck on your midterms.”

<OHSHC>

Haruhi gasped as she saw the dinner spread out on the kitchen counter. “Mitsukuni and Takashi, you’ve outdone yourselves. Onigiri, tandoori, tamagoyaki, grilled fish, and pickled vegetables. They all look so wonderful.”

The Hinan brothers exchanged grins, remembering how food conscious Haruhi was when they met her.

Mitsukuni spoke up, “Since this is Wataru’s first time with us, he should select his food first. After that, it’s fair game.”

Once everyone filled their plate, they sat around the living room discussing Spring Break plans.

Wataru inserted, “After a day at home with the whole family, I’m taking Shiori to see my apartment in Okayama. I start my new job in two weeks, so I have time to show my favorite sister around during her Spring Break.”

“It will be a seven to eight hour drive, but we have a lot to catch up on after his four years in America attending university,” Shiori added.

“I hope you have a great Spring Break,” Haruhi said.

Rene was wiggling with excitement. “The memorial marker will be installed during Spring Break.”

“What did you five decide on?” Reiko asked with interest.

Estee started showing the estimated dimensions with her hands. “It’s about this tall, on its pedestal. We chose a five-sided lantern with each of our parents’ names on a side.”

Chiharu inquired, “What material is it made out of?”

Coco sighed. “It’s a beautiful rose quartz.”

“It will be something to see, settled in the little hollow we found,” Takashi commented.

“Hey, Kaoru, how is the Summer Line coming?” Estee asked. “Do you think your photographer would let me shadow him for the shoot?”

“Sorry, the shoot was last month. We used Mom’s designs for the Summer Line because we were busy adjusting to university,” Kaoru responded apologetically. “We will definitely take you along for the Fall Line shoot.”

“Don’t let him fool you with this ‘we’ stuff. They’re his designs. I’ve been more focused on the cosplay division,” Hikaru announced.

Before the conversation could continue, Wataru smothered a jaw-cracking yawn. “It’s not that you all are boring, it’s just that it’s been a long day.” He chuckled as he stood up to stretch.

“We probably should call it a night,” Mitsukuni agreed. “We’ll make sure Shiori gets back to the dorm safely.”

“Don’t forget lunch tomorrow. Noon at the restaurant. Just tell them you’re with the Hinan party,” Takashi added.

“The Hinan brothers can walk Haruhi and Shiori home,” Reiko suggested. “I, for one, am ready to call it a night.”

“I concur,” Estee agreed, stifling a small yawn.

“Don’t get us started. You know how contagious yawns are,” Coco teased, swatting at her sister.

Everyone gathered their things and headed out the door amid calls of ‘Good night’ and ‘See you tomorrow’.

<OHSHC>

After lunch the next day, Shiori settled into the passenger seat of Wataru’s car. When Wataru slid into the driver’s seat, he remarked, “Interesting group you’ve gotten involved with.”

“We’ve done lots of fun stuff this year. I wasn’t sure about being roommates when Haruhi contacted me last year. She said she attended Ouran. And you know how Akina goes on and on about Ouran, especially the Host Club. The funny thing was, the only Haruhi Fujioka Akina knew about was in the Host Club,” Shiori commented.

“So, there were two Haruhi Fujioka’s at Ouran?” he questioned.

“No, there was just one. It turned out that on her first day, she stumbled into the Host Club and broke a vase that was supposed to be auctioned off. She didn’t care much about her appearance, so they thought she was a boy and pressed her into service in the Host Club to pay off the debt.”

“They didn’t realize she was a girl? Seriously?” Wataru wanted to look at his sister in disbelief but he was busy driving.

“Apparently, she had really short hair and was wearing men’s clothes. They all figured out the truth of her gender but kept it as a secret from the rest of the school. Last year at Christmas time, everyone else at Ouran found out ‘he’ was a ‘she’,” Shiori replied with a shrug.

After a few minutes of silence, Wataru muttered, “The men in the group looked familiar. I just can’t place them.”

“Well, you probably saw Hikaru and Kaoru in Akina’s fashion magazines. You may have even seen Estee and Coco in them as well. Apparently, they’ve worked with a top model in Paris,” she said offhandedly.

“No. That doesn’t seem right. I just can’t place them right now.”

“Maybe it’s something from last year when the Hitachiins were adopted by the Hinan family. There was something in the paper.”

Wataru pulled up in front of the Nanjo mansion. They both climbed out of the car and headed inside. They were met in the foyer by the butler. “Good afternoon young master and young miss. Your parents asked me to inform you that they are at Akina’s photoshoot this afternoon. Afterwards they will be going out to dinner with Akina’s agent.”

“Thank you,” Wataru said tightly.

“Figures. Akina gets all the attention again,” Shiori muttered. 

They went into the living room. Wataru sat down on the sofa and Shiori dropped into a chair. She huffed, “Oh, look. Akina left her Host Club photobooks laying all over the coffee table.” She picked one up and started to flip through it. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Wataru asked, seeing his sister’s expression.

“She lied to me. She lied to my face,” she seethed. Shiori tossed the photobook to her brother.

“That’s why the Hinan brothers looked familiar. They were the Host Club,” Wataru mused.

Shiori stood up and started pacing the room, waving her arms wildly. “She said they were the Hinan brothers. They admitted that Hikaru and Kaoru were adopted, but only because the death of their parents was such a high-profile story.”

“Why would she lie?” Wataru pondered.

She flopped back into the chair. “It was probably a big joke orchestrated by Akina. Remember, all she ever talked about was the Host Club. You know, even though Haruhi’s the same age I am, she’s a junior already—something about challenge tests and online courses. And she’s never home except a few hours a night to sleep. You wouldn’t believe the parade of men pounding on our door looking for her. It’s like Akina all over again.”

A heavy silence hung between the siblings.

Wataru reclined casually on the sofa and laid his arms along the back. “You know, Haruhi is kind of interesting. I wouldn’t mind getting to know her.”

“Not you too,” Shiori grumbled.

“Not me too what?” he inquired with a smirk.

“Those six gorgeous men are already under her spell with more trying to add to their ranks every day. It’s just not fair. Akina gets all the attention here and Haruhi gets all the attention at university.” She stood up and started pacing again.

Leaning his head back and looking at the ceiling, Wataru contemplated the situation. After a few minutes, he snapped his fingers. “I’ve got an idea.”

“What kind of idea?” Shiori said, pouting.

“What it Haruhi ran off with someone else? Where would that leave the Host Club? Who would help them pick up the pieces?” He looked at her deviously and winked.

Her brows were knit as she looked her brother. “What are you talking about? Why would she run off?”

Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, he started to outline his plan.

Half an hour later, they were both grinning evilly. Wataru said, “And the best part is we can blame it all on Akina.”


	28. Scavenger Hunt

“I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the year already,” Coco said, stretching her arms over her head. “How long have we been studying anyway?”

Chiharu looked at her phone. “Wow. We’ve been at it for four hours already. No wonder my stomach has been growling. It’s an hour past lunch.”

Haruhi pulled herself out of the law book she was reading. “Maybe for our study session tomorrow, we should reserve the large private room at the restaurant and have food brought in at regular intervals.”

“That would be a good idea for the rest of the week,” Takashi agreed.

“Rene, do you want to start lunch while I call the restaurant and make the reservations?” Kyoya called across the room.

“Sure thing,” Rene replied, getting up from the table and catching himself on the back of his chair. “Just give me a minute. My legs fell asleep.”

“I’ll help by making the salad,” Estee offered, standing up from her place by Hikaru and trailing her fingers across his shoulders on her way to the kitchen.

“Haruhi, could you help me with this last chemistry problem?” Shiori asked. “It just doesn’t look right to me.”

“Sure. Let me see.” Haruhi read through the information and pointed to the second line. “I think you missed a piece of data.”

“Oh, right. I see it now. I’m not used to such intense study sessions. My eyes are getting bleary.” Shiori shook her head as she revised her answer.

“Hey, Mitsukuni?” Rene called, poking his head through the doorway from the kitchen, “Do you and Takashi have any rice we could borrow?”

Mitsukuni looked up from his notebook. “Huh? Rice? Sure. I just bought a bag. How much do you need?”

“Two cups should do. My shopping is slated for this evening and I can return it then.” Rene returned to the kitchen and said over his shoulder, “I’ll get the chicken curry started.”

“I’ll be right back.” Mitsukuni stood up, kissed Reiko’s cheek, and headed for the door.

“Hey, Coco, it just hit me that you and Estee are conversing very well in Japanese now,” Haruhi commented.

“Yes, Edo and Ataru’s language program works great. We really don’t need them in class as translators anymore, which is great because Edo is anxious to start offering their business with the immersion program as well as translation services.”

“It’s good to hear that you don’t need them in class,” Kyoya said. “I know Ataru was worried about that since she is still at the hospital providing translation for the Vietnamese official who collapsed at the airport during Spring Break. The police are still investigating exactly what poison was used that made him so ill and killed his staff translator.”

Takashi added, “I’m glad that Atsuhiro’s friends at the airport thought to call him for Ataru’s assistance. It could have caused an international incident if she hadn’t been there to inform the medics that he was allergic to the medication they were about to administer.”

“How did she know that anyway? Did he tell her?” Kaoru asked.

“No, he was too weak to say anything. It turned out that she had met him during one of her father’s diplomatic missions. I can’t remember what Ataru said about the circumstances, but that issue came up and the information stuck with her,” Takashi explained.

Hikaru chuckled. “Hey, Kyoya, how many businesses has the Hinan family invested in so far?”

Kyoya smirked. “I don’t have that information readily at hand. Even then, it would depend on whether you mean fully owned or partnerships. I know exactly what my own holdings are, but not the family’s.”

“Maybe the management team should look into that this summer. We can evaluate the efficiency of what we have and that may provide insight into other avenues of investment,” Haruhi suggested.

“Not a bad idea. But we won’t spend more than a week on that project. We do need some down time after the grueling year we’ve had,” Mitsukuni commented, rejoining the discussion after completing his errand.

“Speaking of grueling, Kyoya, when’s graduation?” Takashi asked. He clapped Kyoya on the shoulder and continued, “Hard to believe you’re graduating a year before Mitsukuni and me.”

“Ever the overachiever,” Haruhi teased, kissing her significant other on the cheek.

“Look who’s talking, little miss I’m-a-junior-already,” Kaoru said. “Not to mention three years of internship under your belt already and you haven’t even begun law school.”

All Shiori could do was sit and seethe in silence. “ _Did they forget I’m here? Why are they talking like they are on the Hinan family management team?_ _How will I ever get a word in edgewise to suggest the game so Wataru and I can put our plan in motion?”_

“To answer your question, Takashi,” Kyoya interjected, “graduation is Tuesday after finals week.”

“Hey, that means we can make it to Ren’s first birthday party next Sunday,” Chiharu exclaimed. “I’ve been looking forward to it. I found an adorable block puzzle for him.”

Rene poked his head in from the kitchen. “It’s only been a year?” he questioned.

“Yes, only a year. But what a year it’s been!” Hikaru responded as he pulled Estee into his lap when she returned from helping Rene in the kitchen.

“I know what you mean,” Coco stated enthusiastically. “It wasn’t even a year ago when Estee and I met you guys. Now we’ve nearly finished our first year in university and we’ve learned Japanese.”

“Aren’t you the wonder,” Kaoru purred, nuzzling her ear.

Reiko piped up, “Okay, we have this week’s plans covered with studying at the restaurant and next week’s with exams. How about we get together for lunch on Friday after exams and then do something fun together?”

There was a chorus of approvals from around the room.

“ _Now’s my chance,”_ Shiori thought deviously. Tentatively she said, “I have an idea for something fun. Akina told me about it after her photoshoot in Sydney during Winter Break.”

“Oh really?” Rene asked with interest.

“Well, her photographer used this game to entice the models to get ready for the shoots promptly because he was tired of wasting his time with divas. It’s a scavenger hunt where they collect their outfits and accessories. There are prizes, with the largest prize going to the one who gets ready first. The prizes were usually things like spa treatments, massages, manicures, pedicures…basically things they really wanted,” Shiori explained.

Coco bounced up and down. “I’ve heard of scavenger hunts, Shiori. You’re right, something like that would be a lot of fun. We’d just have to adapt it a little to fit our group.”

Shiori smiled and continued, “I talked to the photographer later and he said he got the idea from a game he played with friends during university. They would pair up and each group would get the same list of items they had to gather. There was a time limit and the team with the most items collected won. Sometimes there was also a limit of the amount of money they could spend so they would have to get creative to obtain some of the items on their list.”

“It sounds like a lot of fun,” Mitsukuni said. “Would you be willing to set it up? Create the lists and all that?”

“I can do that,” Shiori replied, preening at the attention she was getting. “I can have Wataru help me with the lists too.”

Takashi added thoughtfully, “Maybe we should draw for partners rather than just pairing up with our significant others. It might add to the fun for us to get to know each other better.”

“ _I can’t believe it. The plan is working out so well. They are falling for it. This will be great_ ,” Shiori thought gleefully.

There was a *ding* from the kitchen. Rene stood up and announced, “Lunch is ready. Let’s eat.”

<OHSHC>

After an intense week of studying and then finals, the group met at the usual restaurant Friday for lunch. Everyone was looking forward to the scavenger hunt afterwards. Just before they finished eating, Rene’s phone rang.

“I need to take this,” he said as he stepped out into the hall with a puzzled look.

His expression was downcast when he returned a few minutes later. “I won’t be able to participate in the scavenger hunt. My advisor just informed me that there’s a problem with my clinical internship for next year. I have to go meet with her right away.” He pondered for a moment. “Hey, Wataru can take my place in the game. That way you’ll still have six two-person teams.”

_“I was wondering how to include Wataru and leave one of the Hinan brothers behind. This is perfect_ ,” Shiori gloated, while carefully schooling her expression into disappointment.

Haruhi and Kyoya stood up from their places at the table. She pulled Rene into a hug and whispered, “I hope everything gets worked out.”

Kyoya squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll meet back at our apartment after the game. That way you can at least be in on the finale and find out who wins.”

“Thanks, guys,” Rene called as he waved on his way out the door. “Have fun. I’ll see you later.”

After he left, Shiori and Wataru stood up. Wataru announced, “I have six envelopes that contain the list of twenty-four items you have to find and 10,000 yen. You can’t spend more than that or you forfeit the game.”

Shiori continued, “I have the men’s names in this cup and I will draw to assign them as partners to the ladies. As Takashi suggested, you will not be paired with your significant other.”

There was some good-natured pouting, especially from the twins, that made everyone laugh.

“Let’s begin with Coco.” Shiori made a show of shaking up the cup before drawing a name out. _“They don’t know that I’ve already determined the matches and this is just for appearances.”_

She drew out a slip of paper and pretended to read off the name. “Coco’s partner for the scavenger hunt will be Hikaru. Hikaru, stand behind your partner’s chair.”

Kaoru stood up and started to move when Haruhi said, “Uh-uh Kaoru. You can’t fool me.”

Reluctantly Kaoru sat back down and Hikaru took his place behind Coco’s chair.

“Next is Estee’s partner…and that will be Mitsukuni.”

“Don’t worry, Hikaru. I’ll take good care of her,” Mitsukuni teased.

“See that you do,” Hikaru mock growled at him.

Everyone laughed at their antics while Shiori drew the next name. “Chiharu’s partner for the game will be Kaoru.”

Takashi raised an eyebrow at Kaoru, who swallowed audibly and nodded in response.

“Remember, this is a friendly game that will give us a chance to get to know one another better,” Kyoya teased.

Shiori continued, “Reiko’s partner will be Takashi.”

Kyoya said, “Well, that leaves Shiori with me and Haruhi with Wataru.”

As Kyoya said his name, Wataru stepped forward. “I will give an envelope to each of the ladies. Do not open them until you are in your cars and ready to go. We’ve tried to keep the items general so you can be as literal or as creative as you want to be. Meet back at Kyoya and Rene’s apartment by three o’clock.”

“Come along, Shiori. I fully intend to win this game,” Kyoya called as he headed for the door. Shiori grabbed an envelope from her brother and practically ran to catch up.

“I want to win,” Coco squealed, grabbing Hikaru’s hand and pulling him toward the door as she snatched the envelope Wataru offered.

Estee started after Coco. “Do really think you’re finally going to beat me at something?” Retrieving the envelope from Wataru, Mitsukuni shook his head with a grin on his face as he trailed after his partner.

Reiko and Takashi exchanged an amused look before receiving their envelope and exiting the room.

“Well, I guess that just leave us.” He handed the final envelope to Haruhi and bowed dramatically. “Shall we sally forth unto battle?”

Haruhi laughed and pushed through the door. “Okay, we’re dead last right now. Let’s go.”

***

As Kyoya settled into the driver’s seat of his car, he started the car and said, “Please read the list.”

Shiori started at the top. “Take a video of your partner washing a coin in the Ana Inari Shrine fountain, washed coin (see above), front page of a newspaper, takeout menu…”

***

Reiko glance through the list and commented, “Some of these will be really easy to get at a nearby park: gingko leaf, rock, pinecone, and pine needles. The other things will take more effort.”

***

“…pink bunny cupcake, picture with both partners and Hello Kitty merchandise, photo of laughing Buddha, ticket stub for the Ueno Zoo. You’d think they had you in mind when they put some of these items on the list,” Estee teased Mitsukuni.

“Well, at least I know where to get the cupcake,” he replied, skillfully navigating traffic.

***

“Read me the list again,” Hikaru directed as he checked the map.

“Skytree postcard, picture of a temple bell, envelope, push pin. Wait. We actually have one of these already,” Coco said excitedly.

“What do you mean?”

Holding up the envelope the list came in, she waved it around and said, “They actually gave us one to start with.”

“I wonder how many others are going to realize that?” Hikaru asked chuckling.

***

“Okay, Kaoru, the last four things on the list are a can of Coca-Cola, restaurant napkin, candy wrapper, and a sakura blossom,” Chiharu read.

“Really?” He grinned as he reached into his pocket and deposited two lumps in her hand. “A restaurant napkin and a candy wrapper coming right up.”

***

Haruhi smiled as she read the list. “…recipe, ribbon, sewing needle, and bento box. These shouldn’t be too hard to get. If you don’t mind, there’s a 100-yen store just a few blocks away that we could get most of this without using very much of the 10,000 yen.”

Before Wataru could answer, his phone rang. Clicking the Bluetooth in his ear, he answered, “Moshi, Moshi.” After listening for a minute, he frowned. “Are you sure it can’t wait?”

Haruhi watched Wataru’s face, trying to fathom the problem.

“I understand. I need a little time to wrap things up here and then I’ll get on the road. Goodbye.” 

He turned to Haruhi and said, “I’m sorry, but I have to head out right away. I wasn’t supposed to start my new job until next week, but something came up and they need me as soon as possible.”

“Just drop me off at the store and I’ll make my way back to campus,” Haruhi suggested.

“No, we’re close to my parents’ house. I’ll just pick up my bags and then drop you back at campus,” Wataru assured her.

“I’ll just call one of the others to pick me up,” she replied. She reached into her pocket and then slapped her forehead. “I left my phone and wallet in my satchel back at Kyoya’s”

“Don’t worry about it,” Wataru said as he parked the car. “I’ll be right back.”

***

In other parts of the city, teams were having fun collecting the items on the list and learning more about each other.

“Okay, Mitsukuni, I need to meet Usa-chan. He was really the first Hinan?” Estee asked incredulously.

“When we get back to Hinansho, I’ll show you the certificate that Haruhi created for him.”

***

Shiori and Kyoya stood looking at the Ana Inari Shrine fountain. He turned to her and said, “Do you want to film while I wash the coin?”

“Are you sure you want to put your hands in that?” she asked, shivering at the mysterious air about the shrine.

“I washed worse when Rene was starting to learn how to cook. If you’re ready?” Kyoya knelt down by the fountain and waited for Shiori to give him the go-ahead.

***

Takashi and Reiko both stood just off the path under the sakura trees in Ueno Park. Their eyes were closed and heads tilted back as they basked in the gentle breezes through the trees. After a minute, Reiko whispered, “I can’t wait to get back to the farm where I can spend time among the plants. I always feel so much more alive there.”

“Hn,” was Takashi’s only response, communing with nature making him the most relaxed he’d felt in months.

***

Wataru yelled, “Catch,” as he threw his car keys to Haruhi. “Please open the truck so I can stow my stuff. Then I’ll drop you back on campus.” 

As she sorted through the keys to find the right one, he quietly placed his load on the ground and slipped up behind her. When the trunk opened, he pushed her in and grabbed her hands, quickly slipping and tightening a zip tie around them. Then he did the same to her feet before placing tape across her mouth.

Retrieving his keys from where they had fallen next to her hip, he smirked, “Change of plans. You’re going on an adventure with me. Don’t worry about your precious Host Club, Shiori will be there to help them through their disappointment and feelings of betrayal.”

Haruhi growled in frustration. _“How could I be so naïve? Rene and Kyoya are going to be mad at me again, just like when I got thrown off the cliff in Okinawa_.” She took several deep breaths to clear her head. “ _Now, I just need to remember what Tachibana, Hotta, and Aijima taught me how to break free from zip ties and how to escape from a car trunk_.”

***

“Kaoru, thanks for remembering the 100-yen store that Haruhi showed you. Between that and the park, we have almost everything now,” Chiharu said.

“What do we have left?” he asked.

“Let’s see. There’s the video and coin from the Ana Inari Shrine fountain, photo of laughing Buddha, pink bunny cupcake, and picture of a temple bell.”

Kaoru glanced over at her with a grin. “How much time do we have left?”

Chiharu checked the timer she’d set on her phone. “We have just over an hour.”

“Plenty of time. Let’s go.”

***

“ _How does Kaoru keep up with her?”_ Hikaru groaned to himself. “ _I’m already exhausted and I’ve spent less than an hour with her._ ”

“The 100-yen store was sooo much fun. I’ll have to get Kaoru to take me back there sometime,” Coco chattered. “I think we can get the rest of the things on our list at Ueno Park. There’s the…”

Hikaru grimaced inwardly as a throbbing headache started behind his left eye.

***

An hour later, Wataru stopped at a gas station to fill his tank and plot his course on a map. “ _Let’s see. I want to avoid the population centers as much as possible. If she escapes out in the country, I can catch her. In the cities, people will be watching and wondering what’s going on_.”

Haruhi felt the car stop and she could tell by the smells and sounds that he was getting gas. “ _I’ll have to be ready next time. It’s hard to get in the right position in this trunk to get the leverage I need to break the zip ties on my wrists._ ”

Once he was back on the road, Wataru decided, “ _I’ll let her have a bathroom break at the next gas stop in two hours. A school friend of mine owns that station, so there won’t be any awkward questions_.”

Wiggling around, Haruhi was able to reach the wiring for the taillights even though her hands were bound. “ _Now, if I can just pull the right wires like Atsuhiro showed me, maybe the police will see the nonfunctioning taillight and stop him so I can make my presence known._ ”

***

Rene answered the knock on his door. “Kaoru and Chiharu, how did the game go?”

“Are we the first ones back?” Chiharu asked.

“Yes, you are. Of course, there’s still a half hour before the deadline,” Rene remarked.

“Would you check our list to be sure we got everything?” Kaoru said, handing Rene a small basket full of items.

“I can do that. Hey, that’s a way I can participate in the game,” Rene replied with a grin.

Rene had just finished sorting through the basket and checking items off when there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Kaoru offered. He opened the door to find Estee and Mitsukuni with their collection of treasures.

“Were you guys the first ones here?” Estee asked.

Kaoru grinned. “Yes, we beat you.” As he started to shut the door, he heard a voice call, “Don’t close that door.” He looked to see Coco running down the hall toward him. He braced himself as she flung herself at him.

After Kaoru kissed Coco and set her back on her feet, he looked around and asked, “Where’s Hikaru?”

Coco giggled. “He said he needed a few minutes. He’ll bring our stuff up when he comes. I think I wore him out.”

“Well, that will give Rene time to check off Estee and Mitsukuni’s items first,” Kaoru murmured as he led Coco into the living room.

Chiharu was just bringing bottles of water from the kitchen when there was another knock on the door. “I’ll get it,” Coco chirped as she dashed to the door and flung it open.

“Welcome back,” she called to Takashi and Reiko who were supporting an exhausted looking Hikaru. “I’ll take these to Rene to verify,” she said as she plucked the bag from Hikaru’s hands.

Hikaru just shook his head in bemusement as he dropped into one of the chairs at the dining room table.

Estee left the living room to check on him, knowing what a whirlwind her sister could be. Seeing his expression, she stepped up behind him and started massaging his shoulders. “Quite a handful, isn’t she?” Estee murmured in his ear.

“How ever did you handle her? She’s worse than Rene was in high school after Kaoru and I would wind him up over something or other,” Hikaru moaned.

Feeling him relax, she stopped massaging and patted him on the shoulder. “Practice.”

After a few minutes, Rene announced, “I’ve checked everyone’s collections and they are all complete. We’re just waiting for Kyoya and Shiori as well as Haruhi and Wataru.”

Just before three o’clock, the apartment door was opened by Kyoya. “Here we are with five minutes to spare,” he announced.

“I’m checking everyone in,” Rene called, taking the box from Shiori.

“Is everyone else already here?” Kyoya asked.

Takashi said, “We’re still waiting for Haruhi and Wataru.”

“I thought they might be the first ones back,” Kaoru commented. “Haruhi would easily know where to get most of the things on the list. She’d also know the fastest routes.”

“Maybe Wataru got lost or turned around,” Shiori suggested. “He has been out of the country for four years.”

“We’ll give them a few more minutes before we declare the winners and hand out the prizes,” Rene declared.

<OHSHC>

At three thirty, Kyoya called Haruhi’s cell phone. As soon as he dialed, a ringtone was heard from a corner of the living room. Rene followed the sound and found Haruhi’s satchel sitting in the corner. Opening it, he found her cell phone just as it stopped ringing.

Kyoya and Rene exchanged a glance. “She must have left it here when we went to lunch,” Rene commented. “Her wallet is here as well.”

Trying not to appear alarmed by the information, Kyoya asked, “Shiori, would you call your brother?”

Shiori pulled out her phone and pretended to click a number on her contact list. After an appropriate amount of time, she said in a puzzled tone, “It’s going right to voicemail. I wonder if he forgot to charge his phone again.”

Looks of concern were starting to appear on faces around the room. “I hope nothing has happened to them,” Chiharu voiced.

“Like what?” Coco asked with a gulp.

“Traffic jam, car breakdown, flat tire,” Estee replied, ticking the items off on her fingers.

“It’s a brand new car,” Shiori commented. “Maybe there’s something peculiar about it he didn’t know and it won’t start or something. If his cell wasn’t working, he would probably call the house because he wouldn’t know any other numbers.”

“Why don’t you call your house and ask?” Mitsukuni prompted. “Please put it on speaker so we can all hear.”

“Okay,” she said as she initiated the call and then laid the phone on the arm of the sofa so everyone could gather around.

“Nanjo residence,” the butler intoned as he answered the phone.

“This is Shiori. Have you heard from Wataru?”

“Indeed I have, Shiori-san. He was here about two hours ago to collect his things. He said that he received a call to report for work as soon as possible.”

“What about the young lady that was with him?”

“I did not see her, but Wataru-san mentioned that he had to drop a young lady off at Tokyo University on his way out of town. By the way, will you be needing me to send a car since your brother has left you stranded?”

Kyoya spoke up. “We will be sure she makes it home safely.”

“Very good. Shiori-san, your parents wish for me to remind you that you need to be home by six to prepare for the dinner party.”

“Understood. Thank you for the information and the reminder. I’ll be home soon.” Shiori disconnected the call.

“If he dropped her off, where is she?” Rene asked worriedly.

“Maybe she’s trying to complete the scavenger hunt on her own,” Reiko suggested.

“How could she without her phone and wallet?” Chiharu wondered.

Worry creased Kyoya’s forehead. “I’m going to call the campus police and ask them to check security footage around campus. Maybe it will show which way Haruhi went after Wataru dropped her off.”

“Good thinking,” Takashi commented with an approving nod.

Feeling anxious, Kyoya stepped into the kitchen to be alone to make the phone call. There was an uneasy feeling in his gut, but he didn’t know what to make of it.

“Campus police,” the bored officer answered.

“This is Kyoya Hinan. I am trying to locate Haruhi Fujioka. Supposedly she was dropped off at the campus some time after one fifteen this afternoon.”

The officer was about to launch into a lecture about not using the campus police to locate your missing girlfriend when his eyes were drawn to a photo and note tacked prominently on the call board. The photo was of Haruhi and the note read, “Take threats seriously.” Remembering the re-training and new procedures implemented just after Winter Break, he replied, “That will be a lot of security footage to view. It could take some time because I’m the only one in the office right now.”

“May I send over my security team to assist you?” Kyoya offered.

“That would be most helpful. I’ll get the footage cued up for their arrival.”

“Thank you.” Kyoya ended the call and returned to the living room. “I am going to brief the security team and have them assist campus police in reviewing the security footage. I will be right back.”

The apartment fell silent as the door slammed and his hurried footsteps could be heard retreating down the hall.

<OHSHC>

Meanwhile, on a country road north of Nagoya, Wataru pulled into a gas station run by a friend from high school. After getting gas in the car, he pulled it around to the side of the station. Opening the trunk, he said sarcastically, “I hope you’ve been enjoying the ride. I thought you might need a bathroom break. Here’s how things are going to work.” He pulled her up and hoisted her over his shoulder. “I will carry you to the bathroom in the owner’s office. Once you are inside, I will cut the zip tie from your hands. When you’ve completed your business in there, you will open the door and extend your hands so I can put on a new zip tie. Don’t bother trying anything. The owner is a friend of mine.”

Haruhi scowled at him as he cut the zip tie. “ _At least he didn’t see what I did to the taillight wiring. Now how was it that Tachibana explained the best way to present my wrists for zip ties so I can easily remove them?_ ” 

  
After she finished using the toilet, she washed her hands and stared into the mirror for several minutes. “ _I can do this. I will do this. Dad needs me.”_ She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and then squared her shoulders. _“I will listen for my opportunity and then I will take it. I will get home to Dad and Kyoya and all the others.”_

Feeling more in control, she opened the door and stuck her wrists out, remembering to tense her arms and hold her fists side-by-side to create slack for later. Wataru unceremoniously threw her over his shoulder again and returned her to the trunk. “Be a good girl,” he smirked before closing the lid.

Once the car was back on the road, Haruhi relaxed her arms, opened her fists, and placed her palms together. Just like Tachibana had shown her, there was room to wiggle her hands out. Next, she used the tail of the zip tie from her hands to release the bar that latched the tie on her feet. “ _Now I can get somewhat comfortable. There’s not a lot of room in the trunk of a sports car,_ “ Haruhi mused.

<OHSHC>

“I’m sorry, Kyoya-sama. We checked all the footage from one o’clock until four o’clock. Fujioka-san is not there,” the head of the security team reported at four thirty.

The uneasy feeling morphed into a knot in his gut. “ _I have to find her. I can’t lose her_.” He took a deep breath before he replied, “Thank you for checking. I think I’ll contact Inspector Yoshinaga and see if there are any police reports of accidents.”

Kyoya squeezed his eyes shut, braced himself against the wall with his left hand, and gripped the phone in his right. “ _Please let her be okay_.”

When he opened his eyes, he saw Mitsukuni watching him with a look of concern. “What did they say?” he asked.

“No sign of Haruhi in any of the security footage.” Kyoya sighed. “I’m going to call Inspector Yoshinaga and have him check hospitals and police reports.”

Patting his shoulder comfortingly, Mitsukuni said quietly, “Reiko and I are going to drive Shiori home. We’ll be back soon.”

“Tokyo police station. How may I help you?” the dispatcher said as she answered the call.

“I need to speak to Inspector Yoshinaga. This is Kyoya Hinan.”

“One moment while I connect you.’

“This is Inspector Yoshinaga. To what do I owe the honor of this call, Kyoya-san?”

Kyoya’s voice was tight as he said, “Haruhi is missing. We were doing a scavenger hunt to celebrate the end of the year. She was paired with her roommate’s brother, Wataru Nanjo. We haven’t been able to reach either of them. The butler at the Nanjo estate reported that about fifteen minutes into the game, Wataru was called back to work early and had to leave right away. According to the butler, he intended to drop Haruhi off at the campus. We checked security footage from one to four and there was no sign of her being dropped off.” He paused to take a breath.

“And you would like me to check hospitals and accident reports to be sure nothing happened between the Nanjo estate and Tokyo University,” the inspector surmised.

“Yes, sir,” Kyoya responded in relief.

“Give me a little time to look into it. I will call you back within the hour.”

“Thank you, sir,” Kyoya said before the line went dead.

<OHSHC>

“Mitsukuni?” Reiko asked tentatively.

“Yes, Love?” he responded.

“Did anything about Shiori strike you as odd?” she pressed.

Tilting his head and pondering the question, though his attention remained fixed on the road as he drove back to the apartments from the Nanjo estate. He finally replied, “Something did feel a little off, but nothing I can put my finger on.”

“She didn’t ask us to notify her if we hear anything of her brother or Haruhi. I just have this feeling, like something has darkened her aura over the past few months. I think I started to notice it around Valentine’s Day.”

“Maybe she just expects that we will contact her.” Glancing at his significant other from the corner of his eye, he asked, “Do you need time alone for contemplation?”

“No! I feel the need for us all to be together tonight. There is an uneasiness when I think about her right now.”

Mitsukuni laid a hand on her knee. “Maybe Kyoya heard something while we were gone.”

“I hope so,” she whispered, clutching his hand.

<OHSHC>

Haruhi felt the car slow and stop. The smell of gasoline was almost overpowering. She reached for the zip ties she had threaded through the trunk release, waiting for the opportunity to open the lid and bolt for freedom.

Before she could move, she heard shouting. “ _Wataru is arguing with someone and they’re right outside the trunk. No escape this time. Hopefully the next stop won’t be his apartment in Okayama.”_ Though muffled, she could hear the argument clearly.

“I don’t care who your friends are, you will pay for the gas. Any shortages come out of my pay,” argued the attendant in a whiny voice. “I’m only working tonight so he could take his girlfriend out.”

“Fine. Here’s your money.” Wataru slammed his door and pulled out of the gas station so fast he sprayed gravel all over.

<OHSHC>

At six o’clock, Kyoya’s phone rang, showing the caller to be the inspector.

“I know you probably won’t think this is good news, but hear me out,” Inspector Yoshinaga began. “There have been no reports of traffic accidents and no one has been admitted to any of the area hospitals matching Haruhi’s description or without identification.”

Kyoya could barely breathe as he responded, “Thank you for checking.”

Rene stepped up and wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulders. “Any news?”

“Only that no news is good news,” he whispered, trembling as the stress of the past few hours caught up with him.

“Otou-san, come to the living room and sit down.” Rene gently led Kyoya to the living room and settled him on the loveseat. “Don’t worry. We will find okaa-san…”

“I know we will, but I don’t know where to look next.” Kyoya placed his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands.

Everyone gathered around the loveseat and each laid a comforting hand on Kyoya.

<OHSHC>

Haruhi had drifted into a restless sleep in the trunk of Wataru’s sports car. A change in the movement of the car jolted her from her slumber. “ _I hope this is another gas stop rather than arrival at his apartment._ ” She placed her hand on the zip ties connected to the truck release.

Wataru called out to the gas station attendant. “Fill it up.”

At first Haruhi thought she would miss another opportunity, but then she heard the attendant respond arrogantly, “You’re not from around here. How do I know you’re not police or a rival syndicate?”

“These gas stations are owned by a high school friend of mine. Let’s go into your office and give him a call.”

Haruhi breathed a sigh of relief as the voices died away. After waiting to the count of 60, she pulled the release and eased the trunk open. Dusk was starting to fall but there was just enough light for her to see a barn about 100 meters away.

“I’ll never make it without being seen,” she muttered to herself. Then she realized her eyes were adjusting to the low light and she notice a ditch just six meters away that led right past the barn.

Taking one last look around to be sure Wataru was not returning to the car yet, she slipped out and removed the zip ties from the trunk release. She was startled by the sound of a rumbling nearby until she realized it was a truck on the nearby road. Using the noise of the truck as cover, she closed the trunk firmly and bolted for the ditch.

<OHSHC>

Reiko and Chiharu exchanged a look and then headed to the kitchen. “I know no one feels like eating, but we should fix something,” Reiko stated.

“How about soup? Everyone should be able to handle that and it won’t take long,” Chiharu suggested.

They worked together in silence, each lost in their own thoughts about their missing friend, though both along the same line. “ _What will we do without her?”_

Twenty minutes later, they carried trays with mugs of soup into the living room and passed them out.

Kyoya stared into the mug in his hands and murmured, “I can’t eat…”

“You will eat,” Reiko ordered. “You need to eat and sleep so that you can think straight. Yours is the best mind among us.”

Chiharu could tell that others wanted to make the same declaration as Kyoya but dared not in the face of Reiko’s determination. “Drink your soup and then we’ll settle down for the night. We will attack the problem fresh in the morning,” she stated, drinking her own soup as an example.

Estee and Coco collected the empty mugs while Mitsukuni and Takashi arranged pillows and blankets. The sisters quietly conversed in French while they washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. “How could Haruhi just disappear like that?” Coco asked.

“I don’t think she disappeared. I think she is being prevented from coming home,” Estee replied through clenched teeth. 

“Why do you say that?” Coco prodded.

“Mostly just a feeling,” Estee mused.

“We just met her last year, but it seems more like we’ve known her all our lives,” Coco said.

“I know what you mean,” Estee replied. “Let’s get some sleep so we can help figure out a way to find her and bring her home.”

<OHSHC>

Wataru was just a block from his apartment building when he was pulled over by a police officer. “Is there a problem, sir?” he asked nervously.

“Do you know that your taillights are not working?” the officer inquired.

“That’s odd. This is a brand new car. I just bought it last week. I’m just a block from my apartment. I’ll park it for the night and contact the dealership in the morning,” Wataru offered.

“Sir, please open the trunk,” the officer ordered.

“ _So close, and yet so far. How am I going to talk my way out of this?_ ” he wondered as he opened the trunk. He had to school his surprised expression when he opened it and found it empty. “ _How? When? Where?”_ he puzzled.

The officer stepped up beside Wataru and looked into the trunk. “It looks like someone pulled the wires out.”

Thinking quickly, Wataru responded, “Probably my sister’s cat. That little nuisance is forever chewing and pulling wires. It probably got in when I stopped at my parents’ house to pick up my luggage. The butler opened the trunk, but I put my things in the back seat so I could reach them. I guess I should have looked closer before I closed the trunk. At least the cat didn’t get trapped.”

The officer looked skeptical at Wataru’s explanation, but there was no evidence to the contrary. “I will let you off with a warning since you are so close to home. Be sure to get them fixed as soon as possible.”

“Thank you for bringing it to my attention,” Wataru replied. “I will get it taken care of tomorrow.” He waited for a minute until the police car pulled away. He took a deep breath and leaned his forehead on the steering wheel. “ _That was close. I’ll have to call Shiori tomorrow and let her know Haruhi got away somewhere along the way.”_

<OHSHC>

Haruhi snuggled deeper into the hay, trying to get warm after crawling nearly 100 meters through a water-filled ditch to get to the barn. “ _I doubt any of the guys would have been able to accomplish that little feat_ ,” Haruhi thought mirthfully. “ _At least the reeds, water, and mud obscured any tracks I might have made_.”

The barn appeared to be storage for a crop that had not been harvested yet. Cobwebs were evident but not enough to give an abandoned air to the building. “ _How am I going to get home? That conversation I heard between Wataru and the gas station attendant leads me to believe that a yakuza syndicate is in control of this area. If they find me, they will no doubt demand a ransom. I will not let them do that to me…or my friends._ ”

Listening closely, she realized she was hearing the soft sobs of a child. She crept closer to the sound and peaked into the storage bin to see a boy about eight years old. “Are you okay?” she whispered.

The boy started and whipped around to face her. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” he demanded, keeping his voice as low as he could.

Looking around, she slipped into the storage bin so they could talk without being overheard. “I’m Haruhi. I escaped from someone who kidnapped me. Can you tell me where I am?”

The boy eyed her suspiciously. “How do I know you’re telling the truth? Do you have any identification?”

She chuckled. “No, I don’t. Do you really think a kidnapper would let me keep my identification?”

He pondered for a moment. “I guess not. By the way, my name is Keiji.”

“Good to meet you, Keiji,” Haruhi replied. “Will you tell me what’s wrong?”

“I wasn’t crying!” he said emphatically.

“Okay. But when I escaped, I heard the kidnapper talking to someone. Is there something going on around here?” she prompted.

Hearing noises outside the barn, Keiji lunged at Haruhi and placed his hand over her mouth. They both froze in place as voices came closer.

“I know he’s around here somewhere,” stated a gravelly voice.

“He’s probably just hiding so he can cry about his sister some more,” a nasally voice answered. “If you wouldn’t kick him every time he cries, he probably would stop disappearing.”

“Alright. Whatever,” the gravelly voice replied.

The nasally voice continued, “He’ll be back in the morning to make breakfast, just you wait and see.”

The voices and footsteps trailed off into the distance.

When they were sure the two were gone, Haruhi raised an eyebrow at Keiji and he moved his hand away from her mouth.

Wrapping his arms around his knees, Keiji stared at the ground as he said, “They were talking about my sister Hinako. She’s probably about your age. When they first showed up, they grabbed her to cook and clean for them. My father said they tried to have their way with her—whatever that means—and then all the girls disappeared. The strangers blamed us for the disappearance, but we didn’t know where they went. We suspect that they sold all the girls into slave labor and they claimed it was us just in case word got out.”

Haruhi could feel her anger rising with each word Keiji spoke. Keeping her anger in check, she laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and asked softly, “What can I do to help?”

His head popped up and he looked at her in horror. “We need to get you out of here before they find you. I remember how broken Hinako looked and I don’t want that to happen to you.”

Haruhi opened her mouth to answer Keiji, but she was interrupted by a gruff voice drawling, “Well, what do we have here?”


	29. Summer of Mischief

Pushing Haruhi behind him, Keiji whipped around at the voice, but then launched himself toward it. “Dad!”

Haruhi breathed a sigh of relief. “ _I thought those two we heard earlier had returned without my noticing_.”

The man caught the boy easily and looked at Haruhi suspiciously. Keiji babbled excitedly, “Dad, this is Haruhi. She escaped from a kidnapper. We have to help her!”

Bowing respectfully, Haruhi said, “My name is Haruhi Fujioka. I apologize for invading your barn and the state I am in. Your son was kind enough to apprise me that I seem to have gone from the frying pan into the fire.”

“ _Interesting young lady that has stumbled into our midst_.” Putting Keiji down, he faced her and replied, “I am Yutaka Nippori. I see you have already met my son, Keiji. Now we need to get you out of here before those yakuza from the Sendo syndicate find out you’re here. I refuse to see them ruin another young woman.”

“But how, Dad?” They control all the phones as well as watch every road. They even took all the cars and trucks,” Keiji whimpered.

Haruhi spoke up, “I have an idea, if you would be willing to help me.”

“What’s that?” Yutaka asked.

She grinned broadly as she suggested, “I’ll hide in plain sight.”

“It’s too dangerous,” the father said shaking his head emphatically.

“Don’t worry. I can pull it off. I did it for two and a half years in high school.”

Yutaka eyed her skeptically. Her short hair was plaster to her head by mud, but her figure was plain to see as the wet clothes clung to every curve. She brushed ineffectually at the straw clinging to her from burrowing into the pile for warmth.

“Look, all I really need is some baggy men’s clothes and some strips of cloth or an old sheet I can tear into strips.” She shivered as a light breeze blew through the barn.

Noticing her discomfort, Yutaka conceded, “We at least need to let you get cleaned up and warm. I’ll take you back to my house and we’ll talk more there.”

“Thank you,” Haruhi murmured with a small smile, wrapping her arm around herself for warmth.

“It’s just across the yard,” he said as he pointed in the direction they would be heading.

“Dad, do I have to go back to their house?” Keiji whined.

Yutaka looked torn. “I’d like you to come along while Haruhi gets cleaned up and fed, but then you need to head back so you’re there to make breakfast in the morning. You know how they can be when things don’t go the way they want them to.”

Keiji nodded solemnly. “This is definitely not the time for them to decide to search all the houses.”

The trio headed to the house with Keiji in the lead. “I’ll get the bath water warmed up,” he called over his shoulder as he ran down a hall.

Haruhi looked around appreciatively. “You have a very nice house here. Did your wife disappear the same time your daughter did?” she asked tentatively.

Yutaka smiled sadly. “My dear wife died from a fever two years after Keiji was born. My daughter, Hinako, was twelve at the time. She took over running the house and taking care of Keiji. I wish I could have given her a normal childhood.”

Taking a deep breath to control her emotions, Haruhi offered, “I lost my mom when I was five. I had to step up and take care of my dad. He was lost without her.”

Keiji bounced back into the living room where his father and Haruhi were still standing, talking quietly. “The water is ready. I found jeans and a sweatshirt that should be just baggy enough.” He handed Haruhi a small bundle of white fabric. “I found this in the first aid kit. It didn’t get rolled back up properly the last time it was used.” The blush on his face was practically an admission of guilt.

“Thank you. Thank you both for all your help. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Take your time. I’ll make some tea for all of us and warm you up some soup,” Yutaka called after her.

“I’ll show you where the bathroom is,” Keiji announced.

Fifteen minutes later, Yutaka looked up from his tea and saw a scruffy looking teenage boy with wild hair and baggy clothes. He blurted out, “Who are you and how did you get in here?”

Haruhi laughed and said, “You let me in.”

His mouth hung open as he looked at the young ‘man’ standing in front of him. “You were not kidding about hiding in plain sight,” Yutaka gasped.

Keiji clapped his hands and yelled, “Awesome!”

Taking a seat at the table, Haruhi picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. “That tastes wonderful. And the soup smells delicious.”

Turning to Keiji, Yutaka said, “You need to get back to the house.”

“Yes, Father,” he replied obediently. “See you later, Haruhi.”

“Thanks for all your help, Keiji. It was a pleasure to meet you,” Haruhi remarked sincerely.

Keiji blushed slightly as he headed out the door.

Yutaka’s expression turned serious. “How are we going to explain your presence?”

“I had an idea about that while I was in the bath. Do you have any relatives in Tokyo?”

“Yes, I have a cousin. His wife died about the same time as mine and he has a son Hinako’s age.”

“Perfect. You can tell everyone I’m your cousin’s son. I was getting into trouble in Tokyo so he sent me here for the summer to help out around the farm. Just what do you grow here?”

“We grow the best sweet potatoes in all of Japan. We have a contract with the baseball stadium in Kobe to supply the concession stands. The manager always has us arrive early on game days and stay all day just in case there are any quality issues.” Yutaka winked as he related, “Actually, he gives us tickets to the game so we can enjoy ourselves.”

Haruhi perked up. “Do you mean Toma Matsunaga?”

Puzzled, he replied, “Yes. Do you know him?”

Unable to contain herself, Haruhi stood up and walked around the room. “I met him two and a half years ago when the Hinan family helped him regain control of his family’s business that was stolen from him by a corrupt government official. That may be my way home.”

Yutaka frowned. “The yakuza watch us too closely…”

“I may still be able to get a message to my friends through him,” Haruhi speculated. “I’ll have to think of something that will seem innocent, but they will understand.”

“Okay, we need to get back on track with your story.” Yutaka waved for Haruhi to take a seat again.

She settled at the table and picked up the cup of soup, sipping it appreciatively.

“How do we explain your arrival since they watch all the road?”

“That’s easy. We tell the truth—well, at least some of it. The guy who kidnapped me, Wataru, stopped here for gas because a high school friend of his owns it. The attendant insisted that they contact the owner and confirm his story. We’ll just say that your cousin asked Wataru to drop me off here and I slunk sullenly to your house while he and the attendant were in the office.”

“Are you sure the attendant didn’t know about you?”

“Not unless Wataru told him and I can’t see him saying, ‘Oh, by the way, I have a kidnapped girl in my trunk’ as they’re waiting for the owner to confirm Wataru’s identity.”

“Fair enough.”

The pair sat in silence for several minutes. Haruhi finished her soup and Yutaka sipped his tea.

Haruhi started to giggle to herself and the farmer looked at her wondering, “ _Is she okay? Is the stress too much for her?”_

Getting her amusement under control, she said, “I think I have an idea to deal with the yakuza. I just need a little information to flesh out my plan.”

“Ask away. My neighbors and I would do almost anything to get rid of them without anyone getting hurt.” He ran his hand through his hair nervously.

“I think my plan will make them want to leave of their own volition and never come back.” She put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm.

Curiously, he asked, “What do you need to know?”

Tapping her index finger against her chin, she stated, “I take it from your statement that you are a close-knit community, watching out for one another.”

“Correct,” he replied, a little puzzled.

Haruhi tapped the table. “For this to work, everyone would have to agree to the tale we’re going to spin.”

“If it’s not dangerous and it would get rid of the yakuza, I think everyone would be willing. If only we could get the women and girls back,” he said wistfully.

“One problem at a time. I need my best mind and his information network for that,” Haruhi purred as she grinned wickedly. “Now, just one bit of information and I’ll lay out my plan.”

“What information do you need?” Yutaka prompted.

“I’ve only seen a sweet potato harvest from a distance when I was in middle school. Can you just harvest the bare minimum on top and come back later to harvest the bulk of the potatoes?”

“Yes,” he answered tentatively. “Why?”

Drawing lines of the table with her finger, Haruhi outlined her plan. “Okay, here’s my idea. When you start the harvest, short harvest while the yakuza is watching and make a big deal about how this is the best harvest you’ve had since the rodents were chased away. Then go back at night to harvest the rest of the potatoes and hide them. When the yakuza notice the additional digging, just say worriedly, ‘I hope it’s not the rodents again’ and shake your head. Just be sure to keep it vague.”

“That’s…intriguing.” Yutaka’s forehead wrinkled in contemplation.

“That’s just step one. Next, start pilfering from the harvest that the yakuza know about. When they notice the losses, look really concerned and say, ‘Oh no, the rodents are back. I hope it’s not as bad as last time’ and give one another fearful looks.”

Skeptically he asked, “Will we have to actually come up with rodents?”

Waving her hand, she replied, “No, these guys are from the city where you know there are rodents, but you almost never see them.”

Yutaka pondered for a few minutes. “Is that all it’s going to take to get rid of them?”

“Probably not. That’s why there’s a step three. Tomorrow, I want you to take me up to the house where Keiji is working for them and introduce me as your cousin’s son. Then you’ll explain that I have a lot of experience with cooking and chores because my mother died years ago.”

“How will that help? It could even be dangerous for you,” Yutaka protested.

Grinning, she said, “After we convince them that the rodents are back and eating the harvest, I will wait a few days and then start pilfering from the pantry while making it look like rodents have been chewing through the boxes and bags. I may even make some holes in the walls to add authenticity. Then you’ll look really frightened and say, ‘It’s worse than ever. They never went into the houses before.’ You might even consider making up plans for building a concrete bunker to live in until the rodents leave.”

Yutaka started laughing. He wiped his eyes and sputtered, “You are a devious little minx, aren’t you?”

“When you meet my friends, you can ask them,” Haruhi said, grinning.

“It’s getting late. I’ll put you in Hinako’s room for tonight.”

<OHSHC>

Meanwhile, back in Tokyo, the Hinan brothers and their significant others were in a cuddle pile on the floor of Kyoya and Rene’s living room. However, none of them were sleeping.

“ _Where can she be? She can’t just disappear. I must be missing something_.” Kyoya released a sigh that was almost a sob. “ _I can’t just lay here staring at the ceiling. I have to do something_.” He started to slip out from under Rene’s arm when he felt a small hand grab his wrist.

“Stay,” Reiko implored.

“I can’t sleep and I don’t want to wake anyone.”

“No one is sleeping,” Takashi stated quietly.

“I have to DO something. I’m going crazy just laying here. I must have missed something. I want to look at the security footage again.” He tried again to get up but Reiko refused to let go.

“Here.” Takashi handed Kyoya his glasses, then his tablet.

Mitsukuni said introspectively, “Reiko and I were talking on the way home from dropping Shiori off. Something doesn’t feel right about this whole situation.”

“I told Mitsukuni that I’ve had this feeling that’s been growing over the last few months, since around Valentine’s Day,” Reiko whispered.

“Maybe we should re-examine our assumptions about the facts before we do anything,” Rene suggested, gripping Kyoya’s shoulder lightly.

Suddenly Chiharu sat up and shouted, “Reiko, I think it was Valentine’s Day.” She covered her mouth, embarrassed by her loud exclamation.

All heads turned to Chiharu as Reiko asked, “What do you mean?”

“That guy that accosted Haruhi right outside the apartments when she came over to study.”

“Do you think he’s involved with Haruhi’s disappearance?” Takashi queried.

Chiharu shook her head. “No, he was expelled and his family sent him to a military academy or something like that. There’s something niggling at the back of my mind about it though.”

Kyoya tapped rapidly on his device, searching for the relevant security footage. “Wait, here it is,” he announced.

**“…She said she’d be here. I don’t have all night,,,”**

Hikaru gasped. “That makes it sound like Haruhi arranged to meet him at the apartments.”

“No way,” Kaoru disagreed. “It sounds more like someone else told him where Haruhi would be at a particular time so he could ambush her.”

“With the security improvements on campus, this would be about the only place he could possibly get to her without being seen by the entire campus,” Estee added.

Mitsukuni asked, “Reiko and Chiharu, who knew she was coming over that night? Was anyone around when you talked about it.”

The young ladies exchanged a look and Reiko answered, “No one was around when we talked about it. But Haruhi probably told Shiori where she was going.”

“Why that little…” Hikaru growled.

“There’s no proof that it was her,” Rene countered.

“However, it does fit the facts at hand,” Kyoya pointed out. “I need my laptop. My tablet won’t be able to handle the data analysis I need to do.”

Everyone started shifting around to bring Kyoya a low table and his laptop. The Beringar sisters headed to the kitchen to make tea. Hikaru and Kaoru rearranged the pillows and blankets so everyone could comfortably face Kyoya, ready to help in any way he needed.

<OHSHC>

The sun shone through the window onto Haruhi’s sleeping face. She sat bolt upright and looked around wildly in confusion. “ _This is not my room. Where am I? What happened?”_ Her heart pounding, she cast about her memory for clues.

Suddenly, it all came flooding back—the scavenger hunt, Wataru being called to work, kidnapped, escaping, meeting the Nipporis. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “ _It’s okay—well, as okay as the situation can be. I wonder if Kyoya and the others have any clue what happened to me._ ”

Though it was still early, Haruhi couldn’t go back to sleep. “ _I guess I’ll just get breakfast started.”_

An hour later, Yutaka walked into the kitchen, sniffing appreciatively. “It hasn’t smelled this wonderful in the morning in years. Hinako did her best, but she preferred to be in the garden digging in the dirt or in the barn with the animals.”

“My mother’s recipes were my closest connection to her, so I love to cook. It kept her close for Dad as well.” Haruhi turned around to hide her wistful expression as she finished dishing up the miso soup, rice and rolled omlette for each of them.

As Haruhi brought the dishes to the table, Yutaka contemplated the young woman who had stumbled into their lives. “ _Was it really just last night? And it’s almost hard to think of her as a young woman when she looks more like a teenage boy. I hope this works. I’ll head to the harvest meeting after I take her over to the yakuza house and introduce her—him.”_

“I made some onigiri for your lunch and packed a bento for dinner. They’re in the refrigerator,” Haruhi mentioned casually as she started eating.

“You didn’t have to do that. Breakfast is more than enough,” Yutaka protested.

Laughing, Haruhi replied, “It was force of habit. After doing it for thirteen years for my dad, I don’t realize I’m doing it until I’m done.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Yutaka inquired, “May I ask about your background—your story?”

Haruhi shrugged. “There’s really not a lot to tell. My mom died when I was five. My father and I got along pretty good. I want to become a lawyer like my mother.”

“How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I’m nineteen. I just finished my first year at university, but I actually have Junior standing because of challenge tests and online courses while I was in high school. I’ve had an internship with the firm where my mother worked…oh no, I hope Kyoya thinks to contact Mr. Naruse and arrange for my absence.” Haruhi froze as she started to realize the implications of her situation.

Yutaka reached across the table and patted her hand gently, waiting for her to finish working through her thoughts.

“How will Dad react when they tell him?” She shook her head resolutely. “No. I will not dwell on that right now. We have work to do if we’re going to take care of the problem here.” She turned her hand over and clasped Yutaka’s firmly. “We can do this.”

Smiling at her, Yutaka said, “I sense you are a force to be reckoned with for all that you say there’s nothing to tell. I definitely want to hear those stories before you leave us and head back to Tokyo.”

Haruhi nodded her head resolutely. “When my friends get here, we will tell you some of the stories. Speaking of which, I figured out the message to have Toma send to Hinansho. ‘Tell Mori-sempai that I’m having trouble with my bossa-nova partner.’ With that, they’ll know it’s from me and who we’re dealing with here. Since it will be coming from Toma, they’ll know I’m in or near Kobe.”

“Are you sure they’ll understand?” he asked skeptically.

“Most definitely.” Haruhi chuckled to herself, remembering the whole episode with Takashi’s ‘apprentice.’

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Yutaka said, “We should finish up and get going. I need to get to the harvest meeting by nine o’clock and I still have to introduce you up at the yakuza house. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Finishing her last bite of breakfast, she assured, “I’ll be fine. I’m tougher than I look. Just let me get the dishes done and we can go.”

“Let me help.”

She smiled and handed him a dish towel.

Ten minutes later the pair were walking down the road toward the yakuza house. Before they reached the front steps, they were surrounded. The gravelly voice of the Boss sneered, “What do we have here?”

Keiji banged open the door and yelled, “Haruhi!” as he launched himself at her.

Bracing herself, she caught him and swung him around. “ _All that practice catching Mitsukuni has now come in handy_.”

Yutaka said, “This is my cousin’s son, Haruhi, from Tokyo. His father sent him here for the summer because he was causing trouble and figured the hard work on the farm would be good for him.”

“And just how did he get here?” the Boss demanded.

Haruhi put Keiji down and said, “A guy my dad knows was headed back to Okayama after visiting his family in Tokyo. His friend owns the gas station here and figured he could get gas here and drop me off at the same time.”

“Wait, I talked to a guy yesterday that the owner of the gas station knew, but I didn’t see this guy,” the nasally voiced underling remarked, waving a hand in Haruhi’s direction.

“I got tired of waiting for you two to finish gossiping, so I headed over to Uncle’s house,” Haruhi admitted offhandedly.

Yutaka frowned at Haruhi and then addressed the Boss. “I was thinking this morning that Haruhi might be of more use to you up here in the house than with me out in the fields. His mother died six years ago, and he’s been responsible for the cooking and cleaning at home.”

The Boss smirked. “That sounds like a good idea. Little Keiji can’t keep up with us. Come on in and I’ll show you.”

The group stepped into the living room. Haruhi looked around, snorted, and stated, “This looks like the apartment after Dad’s last birthday party. Am I going to find two or three drunks hidden in the debris this time too?”

The yakuza laughed and the Boss answered, “I wouldn’t be surprised.” He turned to Yutaka and said, “I think he’ll do.”

“What about Keiji?” Yutaka asked. “Should he come with me or stay here to help Haruhi?”

The Boss considered for a moment. “I think he should stay here for now to run errands and deliver messages.”

Yutaka nodded. “Okay, then, I’ll head to the harvest meeting.” He shot a glance at Haruhi and winked. “It looks like this might be the best crop we’ve had in years.”

“I look forward to your report after the meeting,” the Boss said dismissively.

<OHSHC>

Shoving his glasses up and rubbing his eyes to clear his bleary vision, Kyoya looked around the room at his brothers and their significant others. “ _It’s been a long, hard night for all of us. I’m glad they finally fell asleep. I need some time with my own thoughts right now_.”

He read through the list of facts and suppositions the group have come up with during the night. “ _Hopefully Inspector Yoshinaga will take this seriously even though Haruhi has been missing for less than a day.”_ Saving a copy of the file, Kyoya then attached it to an email and sent it to the inspector marked “URGENT.”

“ _I’ll try to get some sleep now, even though I doubt I’ll get much rest_.” Shutting down his laptop and shoving it under the sofa out of the way, Kyoya settled down next to Rene and drifted into a fitful slumber.

Rene awoke slowly as he felt Kyoya finally settling down to sleep. “ _I hope he can get some rest. I can’t imagine how he must be feeling. Haruhi has become such an integral part of our lives_.” He rolled onto his back and put one arm behind his head. “ _The plan was to head to Hinansho today. I wonder if we’ll do that or stay here. Oh no, how are we going to tell Ryoji? He’s already having separation anxiety with her here at university. I know, I’ll contact Dr. Tae. I know Haruhi spoke to her about Ryoji last fall. Maybe she could come along to Hinansho just in case. Since I have to call her later about my internship, I can ask if she is available._ ”

Feeling restless, Rene got up and headed to his bedroom to collect his clothes so he could shower and dress to meet the day.

While Rene was in the shower, Reiko and Chiharu woke up. They decided to get breakfast started, anticipating that others would be waking up soon.

Reiko started the rice and then set out the plates and bowls while Chiharu put the miso soup on to heat.

Hearing a soft sob, Reiko turned around to find Chiharu with her head bowed, gripping the counter edge tightly.

“What’s wrong?” Reiko asked, rubbing her back gently.

“Will we find her?” Chiharu murmured. “And what happens if we don’t?” She looked over her shoulder towards the living room. “I remember what they were like before she stumbled into their lives.”

Reiko turned her around and looked her in the eyes. “Haruhi is strong and she will make her way back to us. We just need to do our best to meet her on the way.”

Chiharu took several deep breaths. “Thanks, I needed that.”

The ladies were startled when a pair of arms wrapped around them. “Okaa-san will be back, just you wait and see. Either she will return on her own or otou-san will find her. I firmly believe that,” Rene stated adamantly.

They all jumped slightly when the rice cooker *dinged* that it was done. Reiko asked, “Should we wake everyone up for breakfast?”

“Everyone but Kyoya,” Rene replied. “He just fell asleep.” As Reiko was about to leave the kitchen, he said, “Wait. Is it safe to wake up Mitsukuni? Has anyone tried it since his surgery?”

Reiko winked. “I didn’t have any trouble while we were at the farm.”

“Then I will let you wake everyone up,” Rene said, waving his hands to indicate he didn’t want to hear anymore.

Just before they finished breakfast, Kyoya’s phone rang. “I’ll get it,” Rene shouted, jumping up from the table and diving over the sofa.

“I can answer my own phone, thank you very much,” Kyoya growled from his place on the floor, reaching up to grab his phone off the table. “Good morning, Inspector Yoshinaga.” His expression tightened more and more as he listened. “Thank you, Inspector. Yes, we are heading to Hinansho today.” Kyoya ended the call and lean his forehead against the phone.

Rene waited for him to gather his thoughts and then said gently, “Come have some breakfast.”

Sighing, Kyoya stood up and followed Rene to the dining room.

“What did the inspector have to say?” Takashi inquired.

“He just wanted to assure me that he is taking the information I sent seriously. It will take time to follow up on everything, but he will contact us regularly at Hinansho.”

“What are you not telling us?” Hikaru demanded, watching Kyoya’s eyes look to the side.

Kaoru shuddered. “They haven’t found an unidentified body, have they?”

Kyoya looked up sharply. “NO! Nothing like that.” He ran his hand through his hair. “They checked traffic cameras around the Nanjo estate during the time Wataru was supposedly there. Footage shows Haruhi in his car when he entered the estate. However, there was no one in the car with him when he left.”

“Then she’s still at the estate and they can get a search warrant,” Rene declared.

Shaking his head, Kyoya responded, “They don’t have probable cause to request a search warrant. And before you bring up the judges we know, the other problem is that the search warrant would tip them off and they could move her or hurt her.”

Dropping into a chair, Kyoya held his head in his hands. “It’s such a delicate situation. We don’t know what they could decide to do to Haruhi. I just want her back safely.”

“We all do,” Takashi murmured, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

There was a knock on the door and Kyoya growled without raising his head, “If that’s Shiori, I don’t think I can stand to even look at her right now.” He stood abruptly and headed to his bedroom.

While the others moved to the living room, Estee answered the door. Sure enough, it was Shiori.

“Good morning, Estee. Have you heard anything from Haruhi?” Shiori asked. “Or Wataru?”

Taking a deep breath to keep a tight lid on her temper, Estee replied, “No, we haven’t. We’ve been packing up to head home to Hinansho for the summer. I’m just here at Kyoya and Rene’s because I wanted to know when Atsuhiro and Tachibana will be here to pick us up.”

Rene emerged from the living room. “Actually, it will be Kairi rather than Tachibana today. Kairi will be in the area delivering produce from the farm. After he finishes, he’ll bring the truck here so we can load our luggage.”

Shiori tried to look worried and solicitous as she asked, “Is Kyoya okay? He and Haruhi were really close.”

Estee and Rene both bristled at her use of the past tense regarding Haruhi. Then Rene replied, “He had a rough night and he’s still asleep.”

“Maybe I could help him pack?” Shiori suggested.

Shaking his head emphatically, Rene stated, “You don’t want to wake him. He can be quite a demon when he’s woken up before he’s ready.”

Looking slightly worried at Rene’s description of Kyoya’s disposition, Shiori said, “Okay…I guess I’ll go check out of the dorm.”

After Shiori left, Rene asked Estee, “How are we going to get Haruhi’s things from the dorm?”

“She checked out yesterday before lunch. Her things are stored in the alcove downstairs by the security office. Well, except for her overnight bag and satchel, which are in the corner of your living room. She had hoped we’d all spend the night together here before heading home to Hinansho.”

The pair headed into the living room to discuss the plans for the day with the rest of the group. While they were talking, Rene noticed that Reiko and Mitsukuni were wearing the ‘Classic Blunders’ shirts which were looking rather faded and worn.

“ _That’s what I’ll do_ ,” Rene decided excitedly. “ _I’ll get us all new ‘Classic Blunder’ shirts to wear until we find Haruhi. We can have a different color for each day of the week with the day on the back. Let’s see, Monday will be violet, Tuesday indigo, Wednesday green, Thursday yellow, Friday orange, and Saturday red. Hmm, those are all the colors of the rainbow. What color should Sunday be?”_

Rene pulled up the website on his phone and started scrolling through the available colors. “ _No, that’s not it. I don’t think that will do. Black is a maybe. Wait—this is perfect. Sunday can be rainbow tie-dye_.” As he was inputting the order, he decided to include a set for Ryoji and one for Haruhi. Arranging for rush processing, he indicated that the order should be delivered to Hinansho as soon as possible.

_< OHSHC>_

Shiori looked around the dorm room and realized that all of Haruhi’s things were gone. _“I guess they came and packed up for her. I’ll have to check all of my things. Maybe they took something of mine by mistake and I can use that as an excuse to spend more time with them_.”

Her phone rang and she saw that the caller was Wataru. “Hey, what happened? I tried to call you yesterday and it went straight to voicemail?”

“Oh, I forgot to charge my phone yesterday morning before we headed out on the scavenger hunt. It was no big deal,” he replied off-handedly.

“How did the plan go?” Shiori demanded impatiently.

“Well, I have some good news and some sort-of bad news,” Wataru responded.

“Just spit it out. I’m not in the mood for games.” She growled.

“Well, the good news is that I got Haruhi away with no one seeing us or being the wiser,” he said with a smirk in his voice.

“And the sort-of bad news?” she demanded.

Wataru huffed. “She got away.”

“That’s only sort-of bad news!?!?” she shrieked.

“Well, it actually turned out to be a good thing because I was stopped by a police officer a block from my apartment in Okayama,” Wataru retorted. “Apparently, she pulled the wires for the taillights and they weren’t working. I gave the officer a song and dance about how it was a brand-new car and the damage was probably caused by my sister’s cat that likes to chew on wires.”

Shiori groaned. “So where did she escape? How soon can I expect her to be back?” She started to stalk around the dorm room.

Wataru responded dismissively, “She may never get back. Remember, she had no phone, money, or identification on her. The last time I saw her was three hours after we left Tokyo. I stopped at a gas station to give her a bathroom break…”

“You WHAT?!?” Shiori shouted.

Rolling his eyes at her theatrics, even though she couldn’t see him, Wataru growled, “Oh, lay off. I took the back roads and only stopped at the gas stations owned by my friend from high school. The bathroom break was near Nagoya and I only made two stops for gas after that. It had to be one of those stops and both were out in the middle of nowhere. Without identification or money, she’s stuck wherever she is.”

“Just as long as she stays away long enough for me to hook Kyoya or Rene. Goodbye.” Shiori ended the call and put the phone on the table. Then she flopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

<OHSHC>

Mitsukuni and Takashi were packing luggage into the truck while the rest were checking apartments for food and making sure everything was clean.

Rene was taking one last look around his and Kyoya’s apartment when he remembered that he was supposed to call his advisor about the clinical internship for the next year. Sitting on the edge of a chair in the living room, he found ‘Professor Tae’ in his contacts and initiated the phone call.

“This is Shimura Tae. How can I help you?”

“Hello, Professor. This is Rene Hinan. You asked me to call you about my internship.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for calling. I think we may have found a place for you.”

“That’s good news.” Rene paused and then asked, “Professor, would you be available to come to Hinansho for the weekend?”

“Mr. Hinan, I believe that would be highly inappropriate…”

“Oh, wait, you misunderstand,” Rene interrupted. “It’s nothing like that. You remember Haruhi Fujioka? She was in your Introduction to Psychology last fall.”

Dr. Tae responded with a puzzled tone, “Yes? What does she have to do with this?”

“Well, she disappeared yesterday and we think she was kidnapped. Her father works at Hinansho. He’s going to know something is wrong when she doesn’t return with us this afternoon,” Rene explained in a rush. “Did Haruhi speak to you about grief counselors for her father?”

“Now I understand. Given his unresolved feelings about his wife’s death and the sudden disappearance of his only child, he may need psychological support. Thank you for clarifying that, Rene.”

“So, will you be able to come? I can have Shima prepare a room for you,” Rene offered anxiously.

“Yes, I will come. And it would be nice to relax at Hinansho for the weekend. I hear it’s a beautiful place,” Dr. Tae agreed.

“I’ll send you a copy of the brochure with the map and you just need to give your name to the front desk clerk,” Rene said happily.

Shimura debated with herself for a minute before she commented, “Rene, I think you will make a great counselor. You try to anticipate the potential problems so you can plan in advance how to face them.”

Sighing softly, Rene replied, “I learned that from my best friend. I just hope I can return the favor by helping him find his significant other and getting her back.”

<OHSHC>

Inspector Yoshinaga looked up the contact information for Wataru Nanjo in the Okayama information database. “ _Well, it matches what Kyoya passed along to me in his information so it should be the correct person.”_ He asked the desk sergeant to place the call and let him know when Mr. Nanjo was on the line.

Ten minutes later, the inspector’s desk phone rang. “I have Mr. Nanjo on line one,” the sergeant reported.

“Thank you. I will take it from here.” Activating line one, he said, “This is Inspector Yoshinaga of the Tokyo Police Department. Am I speaking to Wataru Nanjo?”

“This is he,” Wataru replied. “How may I help you, Inspector?”

“Do you know a young lady named Haruhi Fujioka?”

“Yes, she was my sister’s roommate at university,” he replied offhandedly.

“When did you see her last?”

“Well, I had lunch with my sister and her group of friends yesterday. Haruhi was part of that group. After lunch they were going to play a game but one of their members had to take care of some business, so they asked me to fill in. It was a scavenger hunt and we were paired up by drawing names. Haruhi was my partner.”

“What time was this?”

“It was one o’clock when we started the game. About fifteen minutes later, I received a call to report to work as soon as possible.”

“ _So are everything matches what Kyoya told me_ ,” Inspector Yoshinaga thought. Then he continued the questioning. “Was the call to work expected?”

“No. I wasn’t supposed to start until the following Wednesday, but some emergency came up and they wanted me as soon as possible, even though I was in Tokyo, seven or eight hours away.”

“What did you do with Miss Fujioka?” The inspector used an accusatory tone to try to shake him up.

Wataru kept a tight rein on his emotions so he wouldn’t accidently reveal something to the inspector. “We were just a couple blocks from my parent’s house when I got the call. I told Haruhi I would pick up my things from the house and then drive her back to campus. I asked her to wait in the car while I ran in to grab my bags. I wasn’t in the house very long—maybe five minutes—but she was gone when I got back to the car. I figured she decided to continue the scavenger hunt on her own. Just before I got the call, she was pointing out a 100-yen store where we could get some of the items on the scavenger hunt list.”

“So, the last time you saw Miss Fujioka was sometime between one-fifteen and one-thirty yesterday?” Inspector Yoshinaga clarified.

“That’s correct. I wish I could be more help.” Wataru smirked as the inspector seemed to accept his story without question.

“Thank you for your time,” the inspector said before ending the call.

Staring at the phone with a frown, Inspector Yoshinaga thought, “ _I have a gut feeling that he knows more than he’s saying. He seemed to already know that Haruhi was missing. Granted, his sister may have already told him. But his story sounded prepared and rehearsed.”_

He drummed his fingers on the desk as he considered the things Wataru had said. “ _I’ll have the computer techs take another look at the traffic cameras for the area around the Nanjo estate from one o’clock to two o’clock. Maybe they will find a clue about how Haruhi disappeared.”_

After getting the computer techs started on their search, the inspector decided that his next course of action was to do a thorough background check of Wataru Nanjo, including his time spent in America.

<OHSHC>

At the harvest meeting of the farmers, Yutaka was explaining Haruhi’s plan for getting rid of the yakuza.

“It seems too simple to actually work,” Manpei, the resident skeptic, sneered dismissively.

“That’s why it can work,” declared one of his neighbors. “Most of it is left to their imagination. Remember these are city folk.”

There was shared laughter as someone called out, “Yeah, remember how they reacted when that little gopher stuck his head out when we were watering the garden patch. You’d think a man-eating lion had just pounced on them out of the cornfield. One of them screamed like a girl.”

Yutaka brought attention back to the front of the room where he stood. “Okay. We’re all on the same page, right? When we begin harvesting the day after tomorrow, we’ll make a big deal about how this is the best crop we’ve seen since we finally got rid of the rodents.”

“What if they want us to describe the rodents?” one timid farmer asked.

“Be as vague as possible. Mention how sneaky they are and how few people have actually seen them and lived to tell the tale.”

Another farmer asked, “You really want us to just harvest the topmost potatoes. Are we going to let the rest just rot in the ground?”

“No, we’re going to divide into two groups. One will do the short harvest during the day and the other will harvest the rest at night.”

“What if they ask where everyone else is?”

“We’ll tell them they are preparing the next field for harvest. And remember, when they ask about the extra digging in the already harvested fields, look very worried, shake your head, and mutter, ‘I hope it’s not the rodents again.’ That should make them nervous.”

Manpei spoke up again. “I’m not sure about the next part of the plan. After the harvest is complete, you want us to start pilfering the yakuza stores?”

“Yes. I am working on using a claw hammer to make a few potatoes look like they’ve been gnawed on by a large rodent. When they see those is when we look really scared and announced, ‘Oh no, the rodents are back.’ That should really set them on edge.”

The tallest farmer stood up to draw everyone’s attention. “Do you really believe that this Haruhi can pull off the pantry pilfering he claims he can do at the house?”

Yutaka had kept the secret of Haruhi’s gender to himself, so he responded, “Yes, I have full confidence in him.”

“Then I say, let’s do this.”

“Just one minute,” Manpei demanded. “What does this Haruhi want in return? Half our profits? To take the yakuza’s place?”

Yutaka chuckled. “That reminds me. All he wants is that the person who delivers the load to the baseball stadium ask Toma to contact Hinansho with the message, ‘Tell Mori-sempai that I’m having trouble with my bossa-nova partner.’ It’s probably a code to contact a friend working at Hinansho.”

Watching his friends and neighbors fan a flicker of hope into a blazing conspiracy, Yutaka made a decision. “Oh, and there’s one more thing I’d like you all to keep in mind. Haruhi has assured me that after the yakuza have been dealt with and he can contact his friends, they will help us find our missing women.”

That brought a rousing cheer from the whole crowd, even the skeptic.

<OHSHC>

The six yakuza returned to the house at the end of the day and found dinner waiting on the table. “Now this is more like it,” the Boss announced, settling into a chair at the dining room table and helping himself to the various dishes.

As soon as the yakuza finished eating, they headed to the living room and settled down to watch television.

“Come on, Keiji, let’s do dishes and get to bed,” Haruhi called, stacking dishes from the table and carrying them to the kitchen sink.

“I guess it’s better than having to do it all by myself,” Keiji huffed, following her example and clearing dishes from the table.

Haruhi drew the sinks full of water, started washing the dishes, and slipping them one-by-one into the rinse water. “Come on, Keiji. You can rinse and dry. I’ll put them away when I finish washing.”

As Haruhi finished putting away dishes and Keiji finished wiping off the table and counters, the Boss came in from the living room and remarked, “That was the best dinner we’ve had since we got here. And I don’t think the house have every been this clean.”

“There’s a list on the counter for supplies the next time you go shopping,” Haruhi commented, pointing to the paper and pen.

“I’ll keep that in mind. You to can have the rest of the night off.”

“Thanks, cooking and cleaning beats digging around in the dirt and muck,” Haruhi said as she grabbed Keiji’s hand and pulled him toward their bedroom.

<OHSHC>

Ryoji ran out the front door of Hinansho as soon as he saw the car and truck come through the front gate. He was puzzled at the somber mood as everyone climbed out of the vehicle.

“Haruhi, I’ve missed you so much,” he called, looking around for his daughter.

Rene and Kyoya walked up to him and Kyoya said, “I’m sorry, Ryoji, but Haruhi isn’t with us.”

A shiver of fear ran down Ryoji’s spine as he looked from Kyoya to Rene and back again. “What are you talking about? Did she stay behind to finish a project or help someone else?”

Rene took Ryoji’s arm and said, “Let’s go inside to the alcove where we can talk privately.”

Before they reached the front door, a car pulled in and parked. “Professor Tae, I’m glad you could make it,” Rene called, inclining his head surreptitiously toward Ryoji.

Understanding Rene’s meaning, she followed the three men across the lobby and into the alcove.

Ryoji rounded on Kyoya and demanded, “Where is Haruhi? What’s happened?”

***

Meanwhile the twins, Estee, and Coco were greeted by Ageha, Hibiki, and Masaya with Fuyumi and Seiji looking on. “We’re going to have so much fun this summer,” Ageha declared, grabbing her brothers’ hands and dragging them inside.

Estee and Coco followed, laughing at Ageha’s enthusiasm at seeing her brothers.

***

Mitsukuni, Takashi, Reiko, and Chiharu saw Tachibana’s worried expression and waited for him to approach them. “I got the security team’s report on the bare bones of the problem. Can you give me an update?”

Mitsukuni stepped up and stated, “Haruhi disappeared between one and two yesterday afternoon while we were involved in a scavenger hunt…”

“I have that from security. Have there been any new developments today?” Tachibana exerted all his professionalism to keep a cool façade. “ _It’s as if my own daughter were missing. I feel so helpless not being involved._ ”

“Inspector Yoshinaga of the Tokyo Police is handling the case personally. Traffic cameras show Haruhi arriving at the Nanjo estate, but not leaving. Kyoya may have a more recent report, but he and Rene are with Ryoji right now,” Mitsukuni’s voice tapered off to silence.

Taking a breath, Tachibana said, “Thank you for the update. Dinner will be ready in the small dining room soon. Staff already has orders to take your luggage to your apartments.”

“We will find her and she will be safe,” Takashi stated, his tone daring anyone to contradict him.

***

Rene and Kyoya allowed Ryoji to rant at them for a while about losing his precious daughter before the stranger in the room broke in after the third repetition of his grievances. “Pardon me. My name is Shimura Tae and I was Haruhi’s psychology professor last fall. She and I talked about you several times.”

Ryoji glared at the professor for interrupting him. “What do you want?” he demanded.

“I want to help. I can see that you are extremely upset right now. I found your daughter to be strong and resourceful. She will be home soon I have no doubt. Until she returns, I’d like to help you.”

“Help me how?” he asked suspiciously.

Before she answered, Tachibana knocked on the wall to get their attention. “Dinner will be served in the small dining room in fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you, Tachibana,” Kyoya replied.

Professor Tae returned her attention to Ryoji. “I want to help you sort through your feelings and emotions.”

Before Ryoji could respond, Rene pleaded, “Please try, for Haruhi’s sake.”

“For Haruhi then,” he whispered, his expression softening.

Rene wrapped his arm around Ryoji’s shoulders. “How about we have dinner first? Then you can tell Professor Tae all about Haruhi.”

<OHSHC>

Inspector Yoshinaga contemplated the reports on the desk in front of him. “How did he get away with this behavior for so long without spending time in prison? It must have cost his family a bundle to keep these scandals out of the media.”

The Japanese school records showed nearly annual school changes. The psychological evaluations clearly stated he had sadistic and misogynistic tendencies. The vague notes about classmates uncomfortable being alone in his presence suggested a pattern of aggressive behavior.

More disturbing were the reports from the American college and police departments. If Wataru Nanjo were ever to return to the United States, he would be flagged as a sexual predator. The number of women he assaulted and the damage he inflicted in just four years was criminal. Clearly, his family’s money and the lawyers it could buy were the only things going for him.

“No wonder I had a bad feeling after talking to him. I certainly hope Haruhi is not in the clutches of that…monster.”

After taking several deep breaths to regain control, he picked up the phone and said, “Sergeant, please contact the police department in Okayama. I want to ask them to interview a witness for me.”

“Right away, sir.”

<OHSHC>

On Monday, the shirts arrived just before lunchtime. When the front desk called to inform Rene of his package, he bolted down to retrieve it. Rather than taking it to his apartment, he sat down in the middle of the hallway, whooping with glee. 

Rene was like a kid on Christmas morning as he opened the box and started pulling out the packages until he found the one with his name on it. He promptly tore the plastic and extracted a violet shirt that said ‘Monday’ on the back and had the ‘Classic Blunders’ on the front.

His whoop had attracted the attention of every apartment on the floor and they all came out to see what was wrong. Seeing the doors opening and his companions coming out, he declared, “I bought all of us new shirts to wear while we locate Haruhi.” Then he started tossing the packages to them.

There were three packages left when he stood up and carried two to Ryoji. Presenting them, Rene said simply, “I bought a set for you. There’s also a set for Haruhi when she gets back.”

Ryoji pulled the blond into a hug and whispered, “I know we got off on the wrong foot when we first met, but I want to thank you for all that you’ve done…for Haruhi and for me.”

Through the open apartment door, Rene saw Professor Tae sitting on the sofa in yoga pants and a tank top waving teasingly at him. Blushing brightly, he stammered, “Excuse me for interrupting, Ryoji.”

Releasing him, Ryoji whispered back, “No problem. We were just making plans for me to interview some grief counselors. Thank you for bringing Shimura to Hinansho.” Then he closed the apartment door.

Slightly stunned, Rene turned back to the box and the final package with Kyoya’s name on it. Picking it up, he pondered, “It’s after eleven o’clock, so it should be safe to wake Kyoya. On the other hand, he hasn’t been sleeping well since Haruhi’s disappearance.”

Before Rene could decide whether or not to knock on Kyoya’s door, it opened and the occupant stepped out with a morose expression. Glancing around to find the people he had come out to look for, he said, “I just got off the phone with Inspector Yoshinaga. He went to the Nanjo estate this morning under the pretext of following up on a ‘missing person’ report, but no one knew anything about Haruhi. He said even Shiori seemed surprised that Haruhi had not been found yet.”

“Isn’t that good news that she’s not being held captive?” Coco asked.

“At least she’s not being held captive at the Nanjo estate. There was some other bits of news that are…disturbing. Apparently, Wataru Nanjo has a history of aggressive behavior against women. His family has covered it up and kept him out of prison, but he is considered dangerous.”

There were gasps from Reiko, Chiharu, Estee, and Coco that prompted their significant others to draw them close. “He seemed so charming,” Chiharu whispered, shuddering. Takashi kissed the top of her head comfortingly.

Kyoya drew a deep breath and continued, “Inspector Yoshinaga contacted a colleague in Okayama to have Wataru interviewed. The Okayama police sent an officer whose usual beat is in the area of Wataru’s apartment. When the officer reported back to his superior about the interview, he included the fact that he had stopped Wataru on Friday night to give him a warning because of nonfunctioning taillights.”

In his frustration, Kyoya wanted to pace--or hit something. Instead, he continued, “The officer said that Wataru was reluctant to open the trunk, but looked surprised when it was empty. Then Wataru gave some excuse that his sister’s cat had pulled the wires loose because it like chewing on cords. Disabling the taillights is the first thing Tachibana and Hotta taught Haruhi to do if she was trapped in the trunk of a car.”

Mitsukuni brightened. “Wait, that means that Haruhi escaped somewhere and Wataru didn’t notice!”

“Then why hasn’t she contacted us?” Rene whined.

Kyoya hit his palm against his forehead in response to Rene reversion in behavior. “Because she has no phone, no money, and no identification with her.”

“Couldn’t she just go to the police?” Coco asked.

“It would still take time for them to confirm her identity,” Hikaru offered.

Regaining his composure, Kyoya said, “Inspector Yoshinaga has sent details of Haruhi’s case to all the police between Tokyo and Okayama. However, if Wataru took the route through the rural areas, it may still take some time to locate her.”

<OHSHC>

On Tuesday, the farmers began the harvest, following Haruhi’s plan. It was working very well. Barely a quarter of the crop was harvested under the watchful eye of the yakuza and it was still filling the storage bins. The farmers were discussing the possibility of using the fake plans for the concrete bunker to build an extra storage facility for the secret harvest.

On the fourth day of harvesting, the Boss asked about the extra digging, just as Haruhi had predicted. Tensions started to mount as delivery dates for orders neared. 

The next Monday, the pilfering of the yakuza-supervised harvest started. Yutaka’s carved sweet potatoes made the rodent threat seem very real. When the yakuza arrived back at the house that evening for dinner, they were all looking very nervous.

“Is anything wrong?” Haruhi asked the Boss.

He hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Have you seen any unusual rodent activity around the house?”

“I’ve heard that farms tend to have more trouble with rodents, but I haven’t noticed anything different than I was used to seeing in Tokyo. Why?” Haruhi responded as she set dinner on the table.

“Never mind. Just let me know if anything out of the ordinary happens.”

“Will do. Enjoy your dinner.”

<OHSHC>

The Hinans and their significant others spent a lot of time together at Hinansho. Reiko and Mitsukuni postponed their trip to the other farm to check on the plantings because they didn’t want to miss any news about Haruhi.

Haruhi had been missing for ten days when Inspector Yoshinaga arrived at Hinansho to give the group and update.

“All of the police departments between here and Okayama have reported in and there is no sign of her. However, new information came to light this weekend. Wataru went to school with someone who owns a number of gas stations in the rural areas. Not all of those areas have local police. It is even suspected that yakuza have been trying to take control of some of the more lucrative farms.”

Kyoya breathed a sigh of relief. “Haruhi could easily blend into a farming community with her strength and work ethic.”

The inspector continued, “All of the police forces have asked for volunteers to go to the rural areas and ask about newcomers. It’s a lot of area to cover, but hopefully we’ll hear something soon. I’ll keep you informed.”

Kyoya accompanied the inspector to his car. “Thank you for all you’ve been doing. Oh, you should tell the officers looking for Haruhi to look at men as well as women. She was a very convincing male in high school, and she could probably still pull it off. I have my own sources of information, but none of them have found a single clue as to Haruhi’s whereabouts.”

Inspector Yoshinaga clapped Kyoya on the shoulder. “You are a remarkable group. I have a gut feeling that Haruhi will be home soon.” Then he climbed into his car and drove away.

<OHSHC>

Haruhi checked the time and then surveyed the disaster that she had spent the night creating in the pantry. There were three holes ‘chewed’ in the walls in various places and different sizes. The bag of rice was laying on the floor, nearly empty and similarly ‘chewed.’ Boxes had claw marks and holes. Plastic was shredded and can labels were ripped.

She’d even devised a ‘footprint’ to walk through the ketchup from the torn container. The trail led to the smallest of the holes in the wall.

Hearing the sound of the yakuza coming down for breakfast, she set the tableau that she wanted them to witness. The light was on in the pantry but not in the kitchen. Haruhi was kneeling in the pantry doorway surveying the damage.

The Boss entered the kitchen, demanding, “Why isn’t breakfast ready…” He tapered off when he saw Haruhi and the devastation in the pantry.

Haruhi whipped around. “This is how I found the pantry this morning. I don’t know what happened. Everything was fine last night after dinner.”

The nasally voiced yakuza shrieked, “It’s the rodents! They’ll attack us in our beds! We have to get out of here.”

The Boss growled, contemplating the mess. He turned to Haruhi and said, “Take Keiji and head to Yutaka’s. Inform him that we will be leaving today with all of the crops that have been harvested. We’re going to cut our losses. He is to bring Keiji and four additional drivers to the storage facility in one hour.”

Dutifully, Haruhi collected Keiji and headed to the Nippori’s house. They didn’t dare talk on the way because they didn’t want to give anything away.

Yutaka was just finishing his breakfast when he looked up in surprise. “What are you two doing here?”

Haruhi grinned and winked before she reported, “The Boss wants you, Keiji, and four drivers at the storage facility in one hour.”

Returning her grin, he replied, “I’ll get right on that. Have you two eaten?”

“No, the rodents ransacked the pantry overnight and there was nothing left to make breakfast.”

“Go ahead and help yourselves. I’ll go arrange the crews to get the trucks loaded,” he offered. To Keiji he said, “When you finish eating, you go get the drivers.”

Keiji gave his father a hug as he replied, “Will do, Dad.”

“Don’t worry about the dishes,” Haruhi said. “I’ll clean up after Keiji and I finish breakfast.”

<OHSHC>

Kyoya was tacking up a large map of the area from Tokyo to Okayama in the alcove near the front desk when Ryoji found him Tuesday morning. “I’m sorry I blamed you for her disappearance.”

Turning to face him, Kyoya replied, “I just wish I could find her. This has enlightened me about just how limited my information sources are. They are extensive in the urban and suburban landscapes but non-existent in the rural areas.” He waved at the map on the wall. “Just look how much of Japan is rural. That’s a huge blind spot.”

Ryoji laid a hand on Kyoya’s shoulder. “You’re young yet. You still have plenty of time to fill the gaps in your knowledge and experience. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Looking over the map, he asked, “What are you doing with this?”

“I asked Inspector Yoshinaga to send me all the areas that have been searched for Haruhi. I’m going to mark them on this map. I’m hoping it might give us some clues about where she might be.”

“Then I will leave you to it. Shimura is taking me to interview a couple more grief counselors,” Ryoji called over his shoulder as he spotted the professor in the lobby.

<OHSHC>

The Boss stood on the tailgate of the truck to address the men standing around. “Yutaka will drive this truck to the stadium. Keiji and I will be riding with him. The rest of you have your drivers and destinations. Remember payment is required to be in cash. Jiro will take the car and buy supplies. We’ll meet at the stadium by five o’clock. Got it?”

Without waiting for acknowledgement, he jumped down and headed for the passenger side of the truck. “ _I can’t wait to get out of here and back to Tokyo. Sendo-sama may not be happy with my decision, but when I explain the facts, I’m sure he’ll agree that farming is not as lucrative as it appears.”_

Keiji was already sitting in the middle of the seat, waiting for the Boss and his dad. After ensuring the load was secure, Yutaka climbed into the driver’s seat and the convoy left for Kobe.

An hour later, Yutaka pulled the truck into the parking lot of the stadium and positioned it near the concessions entrance. The three climbed out to stretch their legs. “Keiji, go tell Toma we’re here with the sweet potatoes.”

“Yes, Boss,” Keiji called as he took off in the direction of the office.

Knowing it would take a while for them to get back because the office was on the other side of the stadium, the Boss said, “I’m going to the café over there to get some breakfast. Stay here and guard the cargo.”

Yutaka nodded in acknowledgement and then settled down to wait. “ _It appears that Haruhi’s plan has worked. Even though the boss didn’t say anything, I can tell they’re heading for Tokyo as soon as they get the money from selling the potatoes_.”

Keiji hurried to the office. When he arrived, the door was open, but he knocked to alert the occupant to his presence.

Toma looked up from his computer and grinned. “Keiji, it’s good to see you. I’ve been worried ever since I found out the yakuza took over your farm. How have you been?”

“It’s been interesting lately,” Keiji replied with a matching grin. “I need you to do something.”

Toma’s brows knit as he asked, “Do you need me to sneak you away and hide you?”

“No, nothing like that,” he laughed. “I need you to call Hinansho and give them a message.”

Sitting up straight, Toma demanded, “How do you know about Hinansho? Who gave you a message? Why don’t…”

Keiji held up his hand. “I can’t explain right now. Will you do it?”

Eying Keiji questioningly, Toma took a deep breath and said, “Okay. What message am I supposed to give them?” He picked up his phone and started scrolling through his contacts until he found the right one and clicked it.

“The message is ‘Tell Mori-sempai that I am having trouble with my bossa-nova partner,’” Keiji recited.

The ringing stopped and a voice intone, “Thank you for calling Hinansho. How may I help you?”

“My name is Toma Matsunaga and I was asked to leave the following message. ‘Tell Mori-sempai that I am having trouble with my bossa-nova partner.’”

“Do you know who is supposed to receive this message?” the desk clerk asked, sounding confused.

Toma replied, “I don’t know who wanted the message sent, just that I had to be the one to send it.”

“I will do my best to deliver it. Have a good day.”

“Thank you. That’s all I can ask. Goodbye.” Toma ended the call, stood up, and said, “Okay, I’ve given Hinansho the message. Shall we go see about those potatoes?”

“Sure. Let’s go.”

<OHSHC>

The Hinan brothers and their significant others were gathered in the alcove to see the map Kyoya had been working on all day.

“Wow, the rural coverage is awfully spotty,” Takashi commented.

“Yeah,” Mitsukuni agreed. “I wonder if phone service is spotty in those areas as well.”

Kyoya was gesturing to an area near Nagoya when the desk clerk tapped on the doorframe to get his attention. “Yes?”

“I just had a strange phone call from Toma Matsunaga. He said he was given a message to pass along to Hinansho.”

“What was the message?” Kyoya prompted.

“It was ‘Tell Mori-sempai that I am having trouble with my bossa-nova partner.’ Do you have any idea what it means?”

Rene stood up and yelled, “HARUHI!”


	30. Preparing for the Future

While the Host Club grinned and laughed, their significant others just looked confused. Finally, Reiko asked, “Care to explain how that odd message has anything to do with Haruhi?”

Hikaru began, “Estee and Coco, the first thing you need to know is that Takashi’s nickname in high school was Mori-sempai, at least to those of us who were younger than him.”

“The message alludes to an incident in high school just after Haruhi joined the Host Club,” Kaoru continued.

Takashi said, “Ritsu Kasanoda asked if he could be my apprentice because I had friends even though I looked tough and scary.”

Chiharu inserted, “Ritsu may look scary, but he is an absolute sweetheart.”

Hikaru picked up the thread of the story. “Part of the reason he looked so scary was because he was always so serious.”

“So we gave him some nicknames to help him lighten up—like Casanova and Bossa-nova,” Kaoru added.

“During that time, there were several attempts on Ritsu’s life that I thwarted. We finally caught the culprits and found out the Sendo syndicate thought Ritsu had kidnapped Tetsuya, the Sendo heir,” Takashi outlined.

Mitsukuni said, “It was all a misunderstanding. Tetsuya ran away because he didn’t agree with what they were doing. Ritsu just happened to find Tetsuya sitting in the rain and invited him home. They’ve been friends ever since.”

“Okay, now that we have the backstory,” Estee huffed, “what does the message mean?”

Rene said, “You also have to know that we met Toma Matsunaga just after Hikaru and Kaoru were orphaned. The government representative for orphans was trying to take control of the Hitachiin estate like she had several others. One of those others was the Matsunaga estate, six years prior.”

“The Hinan family helped Toma regain control of his family assets and the main one was the baseball stadium in Kobe,” Kaoru interjected.

Kyoya held up a hand to forestall the others. “Now that we have the pieces, we can put the meaning of the message together. Haruhi is trying to tell us that she is in the vicinity of Kobe and the Sendo syndicate is involved somehow.”

Waving her hands, Coco said, “Okay, let me see if I’ve got this straight. Because the message was from Toma, she has to be near Kobe. The nicknames referenced an episode in high school that defined the Sendo syndicate as the reason she hasn’t been able to get home. Do I understand that right?”

“EXACTLY,” Rene shouted.

While the others resumed their excited chatter, Kyoya stepped out of the alcove and took a couple deep breaths before calling Tachibana.

“Is there news of Haruhi?” Tachibana asked as soon as he answered the phone.

Keeping his tone even, Kyoya replied, “We just received a message that could have the clues we need to find her. Please come to the alcove by the front desk.”

“On my way,” he said before ending the call.

When Kyoya returned to the alcove, everyone looked at him expectantly. “ _I hope we’re right and this message is from Haruhi and she’s okay.”_ He squared his shoulders and started, “Takashi, please contact Ritsu and Tetsuya. See if they are available to accompany us to Kobe for a few days.”

“On it,” was his reply as he pulled out his phone.

“Ladies, if you would be so kind as to ask Kairi to prepare bentos for…” Kyoya paused for a moment to take inventory of who would be traveling to Kobe, “fourteen so we don’t have to make any stops on the way to Kobe.”

Reiko, Chiharu, Estee, and Coco headed out of the alcove and toward the kitchen.

“What do you want us to do?” the twins asked in unison.

“I need you to book hotel rooms as near to the stadium in Kobe as possible. Two for the ladies and five for the men.”

They chorused, “To the computer!”

Turning to the two remaining men, Kyoya said, “Mitsukuni, please have Atsuhiro get the largest vehicle ready for a trip to Kobe that may require several days there. In addition to he and Tachibana, there will be twelve passengers,” anticipating that Ritsu and Tetsuya would be joining them.

Grinning, Mitsukuni responded, “Right away.”

Tachibana walked in just as Mitsukuni headed out.

Kyoya nodded in acknowledgement, then said, “Rene, I need you to fill Tachibana in on the message and the things we’ve surmised from it. I am going to contact Inspector Yoshinaga and bring him up to speed.”

“With pleasure,” Rene responded with a grin.

Kyoya exited the alcove and headed to the small office behind the front desk. “I need to make an important phone call. I shouldn’t need the office for long,” he told the front desk clerk.

She smiled and replied, “Of course. Take all the time you need.”

Stepping inside and closing the door, Kyoya sat down at the desk and scrolled through the contacts on his phone. He tapped on Inspector Yoshinaga’s number and waited for him to answer.

“Good morning, Kyoya. I’m sorry but I haven’t heard anything more yet on Haruhi,” the inspector said.

“Actually, I was calling to say that we just received a message that may hold clues to Haruhi’s whereabouts,” Kyoya replied.

“What? When? How?” he asked excitedly.

Kyoya told him the message and explained the meaning they have derived from it.

“Are you sure?” Inspector Yoshinaga demanded.

“As sure as we can be. We’re preparing to head to Kobe and talk to Toma. I figured you could reach out to the Kobe police department and it might help them narrow down their search.” Kyoya debated for a moment before he continued, “We have asked Ritsu Kasanoda and Tetsuya Sendo to accompany us to Kobe. They are both friends of Haruhi and their family names may have some influence in the situation.”

The inspector cleared his throat. “I had no idea the Hinan family had those kinds of connections.”

“Ritsu was a classmate of Haruhi and the twins. We’ve all remained friends and try to avoid any syndicate entanglements,” Kyoya assured him.

“Okay, I will contact the Kobe police with this information and let them know you’re coming. How many should I tell them to expect?” the inspector asked.

“There will be fourteen, if Ritsu and Tetsuya accompany us. Atsuhiro is driving, Tachibana is coming as security. Then there are the six Hinan brothers and their four significant others.” He sighed. “I doubt we could convince the ladies to stay here.”

Chuckling, Inspector Yoshinaga replied, “I concur with your analysis. Give me a call when you get back and let me know how things turn out.”

“I will do that,” Kyoya said before ending the call.

<OHSHC>

After Keiji left, Haruhi cleaned the Nippori’s house to give herself something to occupy her time. Yutaka was a good housekeeper, so there was very little for her to do. “ _I guess I’ll head over to the other house and clean up the mess I made. Even if the yakuza are gone for good, the house must belong to someone. I’m sure they would prefer to get it back clean and in good working order_.”

Meanwhile at the storage facility, the farmers who loaded the trucks were watching them drive away. “Well, what do we do now?” demanded one of the younger farmers.

“We get to work,” Manpei replied. “We still have a lot to harvest. Whether or not the yakuza are gone, we still have contracts to fulfill. Not to mention keeping busy until they get back.”

<OHSHC>

“Are you sure about this information, Inspector?” asked one of the police officers that was preparing to head to the stadium to question Toma Matsunaga.

“Inspector Yoshinaga of Tokyo seemed to think that the information was credible,” his superior responded.

“But why would Mr. Matsunaga be involved in the Sendo syndicate and the kidnapping of a teenage girl from Tokyo?” another officer inquired.

The inspector shook his head. “Let me go through it one more time. Mr. Matsunaga is a business associate of the Hinan family. The kidnapped girl is the girlfriend of one of the Hinan sons. Apparently, she is being held by someone in the vicinity of Kobe associated with the Sendo syndicate. Somehow, she slipped a message to someone who agreed to have Mr. Matsunaga get the message to Hinansho, the home estate of the Hinan family.”

One of the older officers scoffed, “That doesn’t guarantee he isn’t involved somehow. Who better than a business associate to know how much the Hinan family might pay in ransom?”

“That is exactly why we are treating Mr. Matsunaga as a person of interest at this time. Now let’s get ready to go.” He glanced at the clock. “Inspector Yoshinaga estimated that the Hinan family would be in Kobe by eight o’clock tonight. I’d like to have some information for them by the time they arrive. Move out.”  
  


The inspector and five police officers approached the stadium from three sides, parking out of sight to check the area before approaching. There was one truck parked near the concession entrance being unloaded by a boy and older man. Toma Matsunaga was listening to another man who was being very emphatic about something. Whatever Toma said seemed to appease him.

The inspector radioed the other cars. “Hold your positions. It appears that Mr. Matsunaga is going somewhere. Car two, follow him discretely on foot. Do not engage.”

“Yes, sir.” The two officers climbed out and took different directions to try to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Fifteen minutes later, Toma returned to the stadium. The truck was empty, the boy and older man sitting on the tailgate talking quietly.

“This is car two. Mr. Matsunaga went to the nearby bank. It appears that he picked up a large amount of cash, based on the bank bag he was carrying.”

Before the inspector could respond, another truck pulled up and parked next to the first one. Two men got out, one walked over to the boy and older man while the other approached the man talking to Toma. The new man handed him what appeared to be another bank bag.

“Hold your positions. This appears to be a payoff or money drop of some sort. Let’s wait and see who else shows up,” the inspector ordered over the radio.

Over the next ten minutes, two more trucks and a car arrived at the stadium. After the car arrived, the inspector called dispatch and requested backup. Four more police cars pulled up out of sight and radioed the inspector that they were in position.

After one more truck arrived, the man collecting the bank bags had a conference with five of the men who had arrive in the car and trucks. When he gestured to the men standing around him to get into the car, the inspector picked up the radio and ordered, “Move in! Move in!”

Six police cars formed a tight perimeter around the vehicles and men by the stadium. The inspector’s car took up station just outside the perimeter to be ready for any attempted interference with the arrests.

“Step out of the vehicle and put up your hands!” the inspector ordered over the bullhorn. The officers moved in with weapons drawn.

Toma looked confused and the six clustered around the trucks looked scared as they held up their hands and stepped back as far from the car as possible. The six in the car looked mutinous but they were outnumbered and outgunned. One by one, they climbed out of the car, were handcuffed, and placed in the back of the police cars. 

Once the men from the car were secured and on their way to the precinct, the remaining officers secured Toma and the five men by the trucks. The boy was placed in the inspector’s car along with Toma.

“Don’t worry, Keiji. We’ll get everything sorted out,” Toma murmured as they waited for the inspector to return from conferring with the officers.

<OHSHC>

Atsuhiro was stowing weekend bags in the cargo space of the vehicle when Ritsu and Tetsuya pulled up on their motorcycles.

“You two made good time,” Kyoya commented as they pulled off their helmets.

Ritsu patted his motorcycle. “It’s incredible how useful these are in getting around traffic. You got a place we can store these while we’re gone?”

Takashi pointed to the discrete driveway leading behind the main building. “Just follow that and ask the attendant for a bike locker.”

The pair unstrapped the weekend bags from the back of their bikes and handed them to Atsuhiro. “See you in a few.” They replaced their helmets and headed in the direction indicated.

“Mitsukuni, please grab the water bottles,” Reiko called, carrying a pile of bento boxes.

“Sure thing,” he responded, opening the door of the vehicle so she could get in easily.

“Thank you, Mitsukuni,” Reiko whispered as she walked past him and kissed his cheek.

“Save it for the trip,” Coco called teasingly, carrying another pile of bentos.

Kyoya and Tachibana came out of the door deep in discussion.

“Did you leave a message at the front desk for Ryoji? It’s probably a good thing that he’s not here right now, or he would want to come along,” Kyoya said,

“Yes. The note simply stated that we were headed to Kobe to follow up on a lead. I kept it purposely vague so he wouldn’t get his hopes up,” Tachibana assured him. “Anyway, it will take nearly six hours to get to Kobe, putting us at the hotel at about seven o’clock,” Tachibana said. 

Neither of the men saw the smirk on Atsuhiro’s face.

Ten minutes later the vehicle was pulling out of the gates of Hinansho and headed for Kobe…and hopefully Haruhi.

<OHSHC>

“Please, if you won’t let me call, could you have someone relay the message for me? There is an exhibition game tomorrow, so I need my assistant manager to take over while I’m here,” Toma insisted.

The officer replied, “Let me check with the inspector.” He stood up and left the interrogation room.

Toma massaged his temples. “ _How in the world did I get mixed up with a syndicate? What is…?_ ” His thoughts were interrupted by the inspector entering the room.

Sitting down and flipping open a folder, the inspector asked, “How do you know Haruhi Fujioka?”

Puzzled, Toma replied, “I met her a couple years ago when the Hinan family helped me regain my family’s assets. Is she somehow involved in the Sendo syndicate?”

“I’m asking the questions here. What was going on at the stadium today? Drug deliveries? Fencing stolen goods?” the inspector demanded.

“My family has had a contract with those farmers for nearly twenty years to supply sweet potatoes for the concession stand. I admit I was a little puzzled when they showed up a day early with an unknown party who demanded payment in cash.” Toma folded his hands together on the table, staring at the inspector.

“So, you had no idea the Sendo syndicate of Tokyo was involved? That unknown party was a mid-level lieutenant.” He banged the table for emphasis.

Toma looked confused. “I’d never seen him before. I suspected something was going on out at the farms, but I had no way of knowing…actually I did have a way of knowing, but Hinako was so traumatized, I didn’t want to ask. Keiji and Yutaka were acting a little…strange today, but I thought they were upset with me about helping Hinako get away.”

“Wait! What are you talking about?” the inspector demanded. “Who is Hinako and how was she traumatized?”

***

“Please, officer, is my boy okay?” Yutaka pleaded. “He’s only eight years old.”

Seeing the father’s obvious distress, the officer said kindly, “Don’t worry. He’s just sitting in the inspector’s office. The desk sergeant had a couple comic books he bought for his kids, so your son is reading and having a snack right now.”

Heaving a sigh of relief, Yutaka replied, “Thank you. Now what do you want to know?”

***

“You can’t hold me! You’ve got nothing on me!” the boss insisted in a loud, belligerent voice.

The officer guarding the interrogation room door sneered, “You’ll get your turn. Just be patient.”

***

“Did any of the interviews reveal any information about Haruhi Fujioka? Other than my interview with Mr. Matsunaga, who met her two years ago?” The inspector asked.

All the officers shook their head, indicating a negative.

“Well, we may not have found her, but we definitely stumbled onto something. Report.”

The senior officer referred to his notes. “Inspector, the interviews with the five men by the trucks all line up. They are farmers with a long-term contract with the stadium to provide sweet potatoes for concessions. The six men from the car are part of the Sendo syndicate that showed up in their area about six weeks ago. One of the farmers’ daughters...” The officer making the report was interrupted when someone snickered.

The inspector scowled. “This is no laughing matter. If you can’t take it seriously, I can have you reassigned to parking patrol duty.” Looking around to be certain he got his point across, he said, “Please continue.”

“As I was saying, one of the farmers’ daughters was assaulted by the syndicate men. The next day, all the women from the area were gone. The farmers suspect that the syndicate sold them, either as slaves or into the sex industry.” The officer paled at the thought of women being used like that.

“Well, those stories mesh with the information I got from Mr. Matsunaga. Apparently, the girl who was assaulted is the sister of the boy we picked up and her father is one of the farmers. She was traumatized by it, so Mr. Matsunaga didn’t delve into the matter, though he admitted to helping the women leave the area. He assumed it was a son of one of the other farmers was responsible.” Glancing at the clock he noted that it was nearly six o’clock. “It’s almost dinner time. Put all of them in cells for the night with the farmers and Mr. Matsunaga as far from the syndicate as possible.”

“What about the boy? Do we have to put him in a cell as well,” one of the officers asked anxiously.

“No, I will take him to dinner with me. I’m not sure what to do with him overnight. I have not received a response from the local orphanage about a bed for the night.” The inspector rubbed his temples. “Maybe a solution will present itself. The Hinan group will arrive in a couple hours and I have to give that issue some thought as well.”

<OHSHC>

Just after six o’clock, the Hinan group arrived at the hotel. “I didn’t expect to arrive for another hour,” Rene commented.

“That’s what happens when you employ a racecar driver,” Atsuhiro teased, handing weekend bags out of the cargo area to their waiting owners.

Kyoya stepped to one side while Hikaru and Kaoru were taking care of the check-in process. “ _Odd. Toma is not answering his phone. I guess I’ll try the stadium. The website listed an exhibition game for tomorrow. Maybe he’s busy taking care of last-minute details._ ”

“Kobe Baseball Stadium. How may I help you?” a voice answered in a very business-like manner.

“I would like to speak to Toma Matsunaga, please.” Kyoya stated.

There was a pause on the line. “I’m sorry. He is unavailable at this time. May I assist you?”

“I’m calling in regard to a message he left at Hinansho earlier today,” Kyoya clarified.

“I…he…”

“Is there a problem?” Kyoya asked, getting impatient with the indecision of the person on the other end of the line.

“May I take a message?” was the only replied.

Kyoya bit back a growl before he coldly stated, “No. No message. I will try again another time.

While Kyoya was trying to contact Toma, Tachibana called the police department to inform them of the arrival of the Hinan group as had been requested.

“Kobe Police Department. How may I help you?” the desk sergeant asked.

“Good evening. This is Seizaburo Tachibana. Inspector Yoshinaga requested that I call when the Hinan group arrived in Kobe.” His expression was impassive as he waited for a response.

“Ah, yes. The inspector was not expecting you for another two hours. He is currently at dinner. I will be sure he gets the message just as soon as he returns. Where can you be reached?” the sergeant inquired.

Tachibana gave him his cell phone number, Kyoya’s number, and the name of the hotel where they were registered.

The group gathered around Hikaru and Kaoru to get their room assignments and key cards. When Kyoya and Tachibana joined them, the others looked at them expectantly. “Let’s wait until we’re in the rooms,” Tachibana stated, looking around for potential security issues.

“Good idea,” Mitsukuni agreed, wrapping an arm around Reiko’s waist, noticing the stares from the other customers in the lobby.

Upstairs in Mitsukuni and Takashi’s room, everyone waited to hear what Kyoya and Tachibana had to report.

“I couldn’t get a hold of Toma and the person at the stadium was less than helpful. Something must have happened after Toma left the message at Hinansho,” Kyoya reported, frustration coloring his voice.

When they turned their attention to Tachibana, he said, “I left a message with the desk sergeant because he told me the inspector had just left for his dinner break. The sergeant assured me that he would give the inspector my message as soon as he returns.”

“I guess all we can do is wait,” Rene grumbled.

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a look, then chorused, “Let’s pick a movie to occupy us while we wait.”

“Good idea,” Estee and Coco replied in unison. “The sillier the better.”

<OHSHC>

As soon as the inspector returned from dinner with Keiji, the desk sergeant stopped him. “Sir, there was a call just after you left.” He handed the inspector a slip of paper. “The Hinan group arrived early. Here is the hotel where they are staying and the phone numbers where they can be reached.”

“Thank you. Come along, Keiji.” Heading to his office, the inspector thought about the phone call he was about to make. “ _What type of men are this Kyoya Hinan and Seizaburo Tachibana? Are they elites who expect everyone to kowtow to them? I guess we’ll see.”_

He indicated for Keiji to have a seat while he made a phone call. Keiji picked up the comic he had been reading before they left for dinner.

***

Not that anyone was really watching it, but the movie was interrupted by the ringing of Tachibana’s phone.

“Good evening, this is Seizaburo Tachibana.” He paused briefly while the caller spoke. Then he continued, “I agree that just the two of us would be best for this evening. We’ll be there shortly.”

“Was that the police station?” Chiharu asked.

Tachibana nodded. “That was the desk sergeant. The inspector has asked that we go down to the station. Since it is after regular hours, they asked that it be just Kyoya and me. If needed, we will all go together tomorrow,” he reported.

Fifteen minutes later, the pair was giving their names to the desk sergeant. “The inspector is expecting you. Please follow me.”

They followed until the sergeant stopped at a door and knocked. “Come,” was the response from inside.

Stepping to the side to they could enter, the sergeant opened the door and gestured to them.

“Thank you for your assistance,” Kyoya acknowledge politely.

Before the inspector had a chance to greet them, a small boy jumped up and exclaimed, “Kyoya and Tachibana. You’re look exactly like the descriptions.”

Kyoya was surprised and he knelt down to address the boy. “You have me at a disadvantage, young man. May I ask your name and how you know us?  
  


“I’m Keiji Nippori. Haruhi told me all about you at night in our room before we went to sleep,” he answered in a rush.

“Haruhi?” Kyoya’s voice caught in his throat. He hadn’t dared let himself hope that they would find her.

Tachibana laid a hand on his shoulder.

The inspector interrupted. “Why don’t we all sit down and hear what Keiji has to say?”

Keiji could barely contain his excitement as he perched on his chair again. Kyoya and Tachibana sat down in the remaining chairs.

Smiling gently, the inspector instructed, “Keiji, tell us how and when you met Haruhi and everything you know about her.”

Grinning broadly, he began his tale. “Let’s see. I met her a week ago last Friday. I was hiding in the barn because the yakuza men got really mean when they heard me crying about missing Hinako. That’s my sister. She disappeared not long after the yakuza came and hurt her.” His face screwed up in anger at the memory.

The other men waited until he was ready to continue his tale.

Shaking his head, Keiji cleared the memory away and continued telling how he had met Haruhi after she escaped from a kidnapper and hid in the Nippori’s barn. Then he described Haruhi’s plan to hide from the yakuza in plain sight by dressing and acting like a boy.

Despite himself, Kyoya chuckled and murmured, “Figures.”

Then Keiji described her plan to work at the yakuza house doing the cooking and cleaning while the farmers spread the rumor about rodents. “When I heard her talk about the rodents, I thought of the RoUS’s from The Princess Bride,” Keiji stated proudly. “That was Hinako’s favorite movie,” he added sadly.

“If you need to take a break,” the inspector offered.

“Nah. I’m okay,” he replied, shrugging. Then he continued to describe the nervousness of the yakuza and described in detail what Haruhi had done to the pantry that was the final straw. “The Boss said they were going to cut their losses. I hope that means they’re leaving and never coming back.”

The inspector chuckled. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that. I think the testimony of your father and the other farmers will ensure that they will go to jail. I wish we had Hinako for her testimony. Then we’d have them on assault charges as well.”

Keiji was nearly in tears when he whispered, “I wish I knew what the yakuza did with them. Haruhi said she’d help us get them back after the yakuza were gone.” Suddenly he brightened, “Wait, now that you’re here, Haruhi will have her friends back. She said she needed her best mind for the task.”

Kyoya colored slightly at the comment and Tachibana did his best to suppress a smirk.

The three younger men looked confused when the inspector picked up the phone and stated, “Please bring Toma Matsunaga to my office.”

“ _So, that’s why I couldn’t get hold of him and the assistant manager was acting so cagey,”_ Kyoya mused at the information that Toma was in police custody.

There was a knock at the door and the inspector said, “Come.”

“You sent for me, Inspector?” Toma asked as he entered.

Keiji jumped up and threw himself at the young man who had just entered. “TOMA!”

Bracing, Toma caught the boy and pulled him into a hug. “Keiji, you’re okay.” Then he looked over the boy’s shoulder and a look of surprised washed over his face. “Kyoya? Tachibana? What are you doing here?”

Standing abruptly, Kyoya’s voice was thick with emotion as he asked, “We’re looking for Haruhi. She was kidnapped eleven days ago. How did you get the message that you left at Hinansho?”

Toma looked from Keiji to Kyoya and back to Keiji. “Keiji came to me this morning insistent that I needed to call and leave that message. You’re telling me it was from Haruhi?”

Keiji nodded against Toma’s shoulder. “She wouldn’t let me tell you about her, just in case the yakuza didn’t leave like she thought they would.”

The inspector interrupted. “Mr. Matsunaga, you were brought to my office to answer some questions regarding Hinako Nippori.”

Kyoya dropped back into his chair, Toma put Keiji down, and Tachibana stood up to offer his chair to Toma. Keiji settled back into his chair to hear what Toma had to say.

“What do you want to know?” Toma asked.

Bluntly, the inspector asked, “Do you know her whereabouts?”

“Yes, sir.” Toma looked puzzled at the line of questioning.

“Where is she? I won’t ask again.” The inspector stood up and planted his hands on his desk.

“I refuse to divulge that information without her express permission,” Toma maintained stubbornly.

Shoving the phone across the desk to him, the inspector growled, “Then call her.”

“This will be a long distance call.” Toma stated, watching the inspector’s reaction and receiving a nod to proceed.

After he dialed there was a brief pause. “Hey, Suzume. I need to speak to Hinako. Is she available?” After another pause, he said, “I’ll wait.”

Kyoya looked at Toma questioningly. “Ikuta?” he mouthed and received a nod in return.

Toma’s attention was taken by a voice on the phone. “Hey, Hinako. How are you doing? Do you mind if I tell the Kobe police where you are?” He looked around. “Keiji is right here if you’d like to talk to him first.” He handed the phone to Keiji.

“HINAKO! Dad and I have missed you so much. What happened?” Keiji face was split in a huge grin that faded just a little as he listened to his sister. “I think that problem is taken care of. It’s quite a story, but right now, I think the police inspector needs to hear what you have to say about the assault.” Keiji handed the phone to the inspector.

Speaking softly, he said, “Good evening, Miss Nippori. I just have a couple questions, if you’re feeling up to it.” He nodded as he listened. “I just want you to tell me who was responsible for your assault and disappearance.” For the next few minutes, he murmured sounds of acknowledgement and made notes on his desk blotter as he listened. “Thank you for your help. I can confirm that it is safe for you and the other women to return to your homes. The yakuza have been apprehended. I’ll turn the phone back over to Mr. Matsunaga.”

Taking the phone, Toma said, “Is everything okay?” He started to grin. “I’ll make arrangements for the bus to pick you up tomorrow morning.” He hung up the phone and let out a breath.

The inspector eyed Toma suspiciously. “Why the reluctance to reveal her location?”

Toma gave a wry smile as he answered, “Because she was not the only one in danger. Hinako called me the night she was assaulted. She knew that she was the first--but figured she wouldn’t be the last unless all the women left. I agreed to pick them all up at midnight at the gas station. As soon as I hung up from her call, I phoned Suzume Ikuta in Kyoto and asked if she had a place they could hide.”

“Who is this Suzume Ikuta?” the inspector asked.

“I told you that the Hinan family helped me recover my family assets,” at the inspector’s nod, he continued, “They helped her at the same time. We’ve tried to spread that kindness around.”

“Please continue.” He motioned for Toma to continue his story.

“Suzume was in the middle of renovating one of the recovered properties, an apartment building. She figured the women could live in the viable apartments and help clean and decorate the other units as they were repaired. It turned out to be a beneficial arrangement all the way around.” Toma ran his hand through his hair, remembering the midnight escape and Hinako’s injuries.

The inspector tapped the phone. “Please make the arrangements for the women to be brought back from Kyoto tomorrow.”

“I’d be delighted to,” he said with a grin as he started dialing.

While Toma was busy on the phone, the inspector said quietly, “It’s getting late. I cannot release Mr. Matsunaga this evening because it’s too late to file the paperwork. He will be safe and comfortable here. I’m worried about Keiji. We’ve been unable to reach anyone to make sleeping arrangements.”

Tachibana and Kyoya exchanged a glance before Kyoya offered, “If both you and Keiji are agreeable, he could come with us. I’m sure we can find space for him in one of our rooms at the hotel.”

Keiji nodded and shot the inspector a pleading look. The inspector laughed. “I think that would be a fine idea. I already have your contact information if I need him.”

They were startled when Toma announced, “Done. The women should be here by ten o’clock tomorrow morning.” Looking at the inspector, he said, “I heard what you said about not being able to release me tonight. May I discreetly pass along word to the farmers the news that the women will be here tomorrow?”

Smiling, the inspector replied, “I’ll walk you down and confirm it so there are no doubts.” He stood up and gestured to the door. “Shall we go?”

At the front desk, they were about to go their separate ways when Tachibana asked, “What time should we be here in the morning? I know the whole group would really like to speak to Toma.”

“Come at nine. I’ll have the desk sergeant put you all in the briefing room. It should be big enough to accommodate everyone. Good night.” The inspector waved as he and Toma headed back toward the cells.

<OHSHC>

“Oh, Mr. Fujioka, there’s a message for you,” the desk clerk called as Ryoji returned to Hinansho at eight o’clock Tuesday evening.

“ _Who would be leaving me a message?”_ he thought as he opened the envelope. On the elevator ride he read the brief message from Tachibana.

Startled out of his reverie when the elevator doors opened, he walked slowly down the hall considering the implications of the message. “ _A lead. They have a lead on Haruhi’s location. She’s been gone…_ ” Ryoji paused to open the apartment door before counting the days since Haruhi had been abducted. “ _It’s been eleven days_.” He dropped onto the sofa and held his head in his hands.

Feeling a constriction in his chest, he pulled out his phone and located Shimura’s contact information. Barely holding his emotions in check, he waited for her to answer.

“Good evening, this is Shimura Tae.”

Ryoji practically sobbed at hearing her voice. Brokenly, he said, “This is Ryoji. I came home to a note from Tachibana that they have a lead on Haruhi’s location. She’s been gone eleven days. What if the lead is her body? What if my baby girl is gone? What am I going to do?”

Gently she responded, “Listen to me. You need to remain positive. If it were a body, you are the one who would have to identify her. Since they didn’t give any definite information, they probably don’t want to get your hopes up.”

Taking several deep breaths, he replied, “You’re right. They’ve always been straightforward with me. I’ll hope for the best and wait to hear from them.” He closed his eyes and leaned his head onto the back of the sofa. “Hey, Shimura?”

“Yes, Ryoji?” she responded.

“I don’t know what I would do without you right now. Thank you for coming with Rene to break the news about Haruhi.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

“You go get some sleep. Things will look brighter tomorrow,” Shimura assured him.

“Thanks. You have a good night,” Ryoji said feeling more at peace.

“Good night,” she replied before ending the call.

<OHSHC>

Wednesday was a flurry of activity. The Hinan group arrived at the police station at nine o’clock and was shown to the briefing room.

“Hey, guys,” Hikaru called for everyone’s attention. “Why don’t we have Reiko, Chiharu, Estee, and Coco take the women shopping for new outfits to celebrate their homecoming?”

“That would be a wonderful idea,” Rene called.

The others nodded in agreement and Keiji clapped with glee. Tachibana pulled out his wallet and handed the Hinan family credit card to Reiko and whispered, “Buy something nice for Haruhi, too.”

Reiko smiled and answered his request with a nod. “I’ll take good care of this,” she promised.

The inspector entered the room and asked, “May I speak privately with Mr. Sendo for a moment?”

Tetsuya shrugged and replied, “Sure.” He followed the inspector.

“What’s that all about?” Ritsu asked nervously.

“Don’t worry,” Takashi replied, patting Ritsu’s shoulder gently.

***

The inspector led Tetsuya to the viewing area of a line-up room. “I just want you to confirm whether or not these men are part of the Sendo syndicate.”

“I‘ll help any way I can,” he replied.

The six men were escorted into the line-up room. They grumbled while shifting their feet back and forth in agitation.

Tetsuya looked the group over intently and then started to chuckle. “It figures he would try something like this.”

“How so?” the inspector asked for clarification.

“Ena--though he insists everyone call him Boss--is greedy, with big ideas but very few brains to pull them off. The five with him are his loyal lapdogs.” Tetsuya covered his eyes and shook his head. “I doubt he’ll ever learn. I used to hear stories around the compound. He’s been pulling stuff like this since high school, but it has always blown up in his face one way or another.”

“Thanks for the information.” The inspector pushed an intercom button. “That’s all. Return them to their cells.”

“What about the farmers and Toma?” Tetsuya inquired.

“Why don’t we wait to talk about that when we get back to the briefing room? That way I can tell the whole crowd at once,” the inspector replied with a chuckle.

***

The inspector and Tetsuya had just returned to the briefing room when an officer brought Toma in.

“We were just talking about you, Mr. Matsunaga,” the inspector said. Turning to the group, he continued, “As you can see, Mr. Matsunaga has been released because Mr. Hinan vouched for his identity. The farmers have all given us names of long-time customers who can vouch for them as well. Officers are making contact to confirm their identities. They should be released by lunch time.”

The group cheered at the good news. “That should give us time to finish the shopping,” Chiharu said happily.

The inspector waved his hands for attention. “With Mr. Sendo’s identification and Miss Nippori’s statement, the other six men will not be released for quite some time.”

The desk sergeant opened the door. “Inspector, the bus you were expecting has arrived.”

“They’re early,” he replied after checking the clock.

“Inspector?” Toma said.

“Yes?”

“I think it would be best if Keiji and I go out to meet them. They know both of us so they should be more at ease,” Toma suggested.

The inspector remarked, “I’d like to come along as well so I can speak to Miss Nippori. It should only take a few minutes.”

Keiji and Toma exchanged a glance and nodded affirmatively.

As they passed the front desk, the inspector asked the sergeant to have the yakuza placed back in the line-up room.

Until they saw Keiji and Toma, the women refused to get off the bus. Suddenly the door flew open and Hinako raced out and wrapped Keiji in a fierce embrace. 

“Keiji, I’ve missed you so much,” Hinako cried.

The rest of the women exited the bus and surrounded Toma, chattering excitedly at the prospect of being able to go home. “Come along ladies,” Toma said over the commotion. “There are some friends that I would like you to meet.”

The inspector stepped forward. “Miss Nippori, if you could come with me for a minute.”

Hinako stiffened and Keiji said, “It’s okay. The inspector just wants you to identify the bad guys.”

Toma escorted the other women to the briefing room while Keiji accompanied Hinako to the viewing area of the line-up room. Minutes later the pair joined the others who were getting to know one another.

Seeing that Hinako arrived, Coco stood up and announced, “Time to go shopping!”

Toma waved to get everyone’s attention. “Please meet us at the hotel when you’ve finished your shopping. We’ll wait here for the men to be released, then we’ll head to the hotel and make arrangements for lunch. After lunch, we’ll take you all home.”

<OHSHC>

Haruhi was in the kitchen at the Nippori house washing dishes after lunch when she heard a commotion outside. She slipped into the living room and peeked out through the window coverings. Outside she saw a bus and large vehicle pulling the yard.

“ _Wait, that’s Toma,”_ she thought as a young man stepped off the bus and started helping women exit. Turning her attention to the other vehicle, she gasps and bolted for the front door.

Haruhi paused briefly on the porch as she watched the Hinan group climb out of the vehicle and look around. Kyoya was the first one to notice her.

Kyoya could only stare as his thoughts were a jumble. “ _She’s here and she’s okay. She looks just like that scruffy little urchin that invaded Music Room Three four years ago.”_ Memories of the intervening years flashed through his mind faster than he could identify them.

“Kyoya,” she said softly as she jumped off the porch and ran toward him. Realizing that he was lost in his thoughts or memories, Haruhi slowed her momentum so she wouldn’t bowl him over. Pulling him into a hug, she stood on her toes and kissed the corner of his mouth because, in her haste, her aim was off.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Kyoya smirked and whispered, “That’s the same place you kissed me that first time, when I had the split lip.”

Ignoring his comment, Haruhi slipped her left arm around his waist and her right hand up the back of his neck into his hair so she could pull his head down to kiss him properly.

Kyoya wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss passionately. When they finally pulled back to catch their breath, they realized that they were surrounded and they both blushed brightly.

The twins were grinning broadly, Coco was fanning herself, Ritsu was blushing as red as his hair, Rene was hopping up and down while clapping his hands silently, and Estee looked amused. The rest of the group just smiled and nodded approvingly.

Trying to gather some semblance of dignity, Kyoya huffed, “I haven’t seen her for nearly two weeks and she did disappear under suspicious circumstances.”

“We wouldn’t tease you if we didn’t love you,” Mitsukuni chanted in a sing-song voice.

The crowd parted and Toma stepped forward with an elderly woman. He said, “This is Obaa-san, the matriarch of the community. She has invited all of us up to her house to celebrate the liberation from the syndicate and the return of the women.” He gestured in the direction of the house the yakuza had been using.

The Hinan group all bowed respectfully to the elderly woman who was shorter than Haruhi but had a presence that made her more imposing than Takashi.

Haruhi looked around, concerned. “Where are Yutaka and Keiji?”

Toma replied, “Don’t worry. All of the farmers who left here on Tuesday have returned. They drove the trucks back to the storage facility. If you will walk Obaa-san to her house, I will see that the other women are dropped off at their homes as well.”

Obaa-san took Haruhi’s hand and started to lead her toward the house in the distance. “I must thank you for all you did here. Keiji’s account was rather disjointed so I would like to hear it from you. However, I would like you to tell it at the celebration tonight so everyone can hear and you don’t have to keep repeating it.”

Haruhi and Kyoya had their arms wrapped around each other’s waists as Obaa-san pulled Haruhi along.

As they approached the front door, Haruhi thought, _“I’m glad I took the time to clean the house since there’s going to be a party here tonight.”_

“You all will stay here with me tonight. You can leave for Tokyo tomorrow morning,” Obaa-san decreed. “For now, let’s relax and have some tea while we wait for the other to arrive with the food and music.”

<OHSHC>

A crowd was gathered outside the front doors of Hinansho when the family arrived home late Thursday afternoon. Haruhi and Kyoya missed the sight because they were asleep entwined in each other’s arms. Atsuhiro parked the vehicle and turned to Tachibana. “You better wake them up. As soon as I open the door you know Ryoji will be in here to see his little girl for himself.”

Tachibana chuckled. “No doubt.” He nodded at the sight of Ryoji running toward the vehicle. “ _Well, at least my years of waking Kyoya mean I know what to expect._ ” First, he shook the young man’s shoulder and dodged a swinging fist. Next. He said loudly, “Kyoya, it’s time to get up.”

“Go away!” Kyoya growled, snuggling back into Haruhi’s warmth.

Snickers and chuckles were heard from the back of the vehicle as the others watched in amusement.

When Tachibana saw Ryoji standing at the door looking like he was about to pull it off its hinges, he decided to change tactics. Reaching across Kyoya, he shook Haruhi’s shoulder.

She blinked her eyes and smiled sleepily. “Are we late for school?” she asked, still half-asleep.

“No, but we have arrived home and your father is rather impatient to see you,” he replied with a grin.

She waved a hand haphazardly. “Give me a minute.” Pulling back slightly in Kyoya’s embrace, she nuzzled his ear and whisper huskily, “Kyoya-koi, we need to get up. People are watching.”

Kyoya’s eyes flew opened and he looked around blearily. “Where are we?”

“We’re home. There’s a whole crowd waiting for us.” She nuzzled his ear again.

Kyoya stretched and smiled at Haruhi. “Not for us, for you.”

“You can open the door now, Atsuhiro,” Tachibana called. 

As soon as the door was open far enough for Ryoji to slip his hand in, he pulled the door open and lunged for Haruhi.

“My baby! She’s back! She’s okay!” Dragging her across Kyoya’s lap, Ryoji wrapped Haruhi in a tight hug, sobbing and laughing by turns.

“Dad, I’m fine,” she wheezed. “Can I breathe? Please?”

Loosening his grip only marginally, he dragged her out of the vehicle and to the waiting crowd. “Let’s all head to the main dining room so we can all tell Haruhi how much we missed her,” Ryoji announced.

Fifteen minutes later, Haruhi was standing at the door greeting everyone. Ryoji was holding on to her hand like he expected her to disappear at any moment. His other hand was held by Shimura.

“ _I wasn’t gone that long, was I_?” Haruhi contemplated as she watched her father and her psychology professor exchange meaningful glances.

Mr. Naruse stepped up. “Haruhi, the office just isn’t the same without you there. I’m so glad you’re back safely. When you have a few minutes later, I’d like to talk to you about something.”

“Of course,” she replied.

Next came Miss Negano, Misaki, the judges, and their clerks. All of them commented on how the courthouse was quiet without her presence.

Fuyumi threw her arms around Haruhi and squealed, “You’re back. We’ve missed you.” Seiji and the kids stood back and tried not to laugh at her antics.

“Ren, come back here,” Hibiki called, hurrying after the giggling toddler.

Haruhi laughed and said, “He’s getting so big.”

“And fast,” Kosaku replied, smiling indulgently at his son. “It’s so good to have you back.

Finally, everyone had a chance to greet Haruhi and they sat down to a wonder dinner prepared by Kairi and his crew.

Ryoji insisted that Haruhi sit on his right because he had so much to tell her. Kyoya quietly sat on her other side, maintaining constant but discreet contact.

“Haruhi, we have so much to catch up on. I am so thankful that Rene brought Shimura with him when they broke the news of your disappearance. I don’t know what I would do without her. She helped me interview and choose a grief counselor.” Ryoji turned and looked lovingly into the eyes of the woman on his left. Shimura returned his look shyly.

“Oh, before I forget. Inspector Yoshinaga will be here in the morning to take your statement about the kidnapping. Will you be alright? Should I have him wait?” Ryoji murmured.

“Tomorrow morning will be fine, Dad. I already wrote out a statement on the trip back from Kobe. I signed it with Tachibana and Kyoya as witnesses,” Haruhi replied, pausing to squeeze Kyoya’s hand.

Ryoji chattered on, “That’s good, because tomorrow after lunch, we’re headed to Misuzu’s pension in Karuizawa for the weekend. Oh, and next Wednesday is our first family counseling session now that you’re back.”

“Family counseling session?” Haruhi asked, bemused.

“Why, yes. My grief counselor insisted that we meet once a week as a family. If you want individual sessions as well, that can be arranged,” her father continued.

Haruhi sighed and continued eating her dinner. “ _This is going to be a long night_.”

<OHSHC>

Trying to keep her irritation in check, Haruhi paced the waiting room. “ _I can’t believe he didn’t tell me we were staying until Tuesday. He said it was a weekend trip. I have a lot of things to catch up on. I wonder is the management team did the investment analysis of the Hinan holding I suggested. I was right that Misuzu wants to retire and Mei has no interest in taking over the business. The pension would be a good investment for the Hinan family. I still need to find time to contact Mr. Naruse. He said at the ‘Welcome Home’ party that…”_

Her thoughts were interrupted with the receptionist called, “Fujioka. The doctor will see you now.”

“Good to meet you, Miss Fujioka. I am Dr. Goda.” He bowed and gestured for her and Ryoji to enter his office. “Your father has told me so much about you. Please have a seat.”

Haruhi hummed noncommittally and looked around. Before she could choose a place to sit, her father grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the sofa.

The trio spent the next half hour talking Kotoko, the family dynamic between Ryoji and Haruhi, the progress Ryoji was making in therapy, and finally they came to next steps.

Dr. Goda paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before he looked at Haruhi seriously and said, “You two need to rebuild your relationship with a new dynamic.”

“What do you mean?” Haruhi asked cautiously.

“I’ll be blunt. You need to live together in the same household, just the two of you, for the next six months or so.” Before Haruhi could protest, he continued, “I know you’ve done that in the past. But this time it needs to be with Ryoji as the parent rather than you.”

“And how are we supposed to manage that?” she demanded. “I’m in my final year of my undergraduate degree. I will not drop everything and move back to Hinansho…”

“No, no. You misunderstand. I am suggesting that Ryoji get an apartment near campus where you two can live while you attend university. All I ask is that you let your father make the family decisions.”

Haruhi huffed, “I’ll give it a try.”

Ryoji clapped and gleefully exclaimed, “This is going to be so much fun.”

<OHSHC>

Stomping in the direction of the apartment she shared with her father, Haruhi grumbled to herself, “ _I can’t believe I have to be home by five o’clock. Five o’clock. How am I supposed to study when the books I need are considered reference texts and can’t be checked out? I can understand Wednesdays for the family grief counseling. But every day?!? I have less freedom than an elementary school student._ ”

It was just a little over a week until Christmas and Haruhi’s resentment had been building since the start of the school year. Her father had left his job as a bartender at Hinansho and moved out of the apartment. Instead, he got a job as a clerk in a bookstore near the university and rented an apartment nearby. All the decisions were made without any input from Haruhi and the grief counselor applauded her dad’s actions.

The erosion of her freedom had started slowly, almost unnoticed. After her ‘Welcome Home’ party, Mr. Naruse had explained that they had brought on a new intern while she was missing. However, they had worked with the University and the judges at the courthouse to qualify her for a paralegal certificate since she was nearly finished with her under graduate degree and had three years of experience as an intern. Haruhi would now be working in the office on Mondays as a paralegal, tracking her billable time just like a lawyer. This reduced her work from three days to one.

Then Ryoji had insisted that she and Kyoya could not spend all their free time together. He allowed Friday to be their date night, but Haruhi had to be home by ten o’clock.

Time with her friends had become even more limited. She was allowed to spend time with them on the first Saturday of the month from ten in the morning until two in the afternoon.

“ _I miss the dinner parties where we took turns cooking. I miss movie nights where we would binge watch something and all fall asleep together. I feel so left out and alone._ ” She glared up at the apartment building where she lived with her dad.

She opened the apartment door and stepped inside. Placing her shoes neatly by the door, she called out, “I’m home.”

There was no response and no aroma of dinner so she headed to the kitchen. On the counter was a note.

**“Baby girl, I am attending a lecture that Shimura is giving and we’re going out afterwards. I made a bento for you. It’s in the refrigerator. I’ll call to check up on you. Don’t wait up. Remember, your bedtime is ten o’clock. Dad.”**

Haruhi growled in frustration and crushed the note in her hand. “ _I’m nineteen and he’s treating me like I’m five.”_ She thought about calling Kyoya to talk but remember the note said her dad would be calling to check up on her.

Huffing in annoyance, she pulled her homework out of her satchel and then went to the refrigerator for the bento. It didn’t look very appetizing and she considered just throwing it away but she didn’t want to deal with her dad’s temper tantrum if she did.

Six hours and four phone calls from Ryoji later, Haruhi heard the door opening. “ _Great. I lost track of time. Now I’m going to get a lecture,_ ” Haruhi sighed in frustration.

Ryoji stepped into the kitchen and clucked his tongue in disappointment. “It’s an hour past your bedtime, young lady.”

Haruhi shook the cramps out of her hand. “I’m sorry, Dad. I got this assignment in class today and it’s due on Thursday. Since we have family counseling tomorrow, this was the only opportunity I had to get it done.”

He looked at her sternly. “Very well. Just this once. Now go get ready for bed.”

Resisting the impulse to roll her eyes, Haruhi packed her school books and papers in her satchel and prepared to head to her bedroom.

“Oh, by the way,” Ryoji called after her. “I’m taking you clothes shopping this weekend. Your wardrobe is dismally inadequate.”

Clenching her fist, she replied, “Okay, Dad. Goodnight.”

<OHSHC>

Haruhi sat sulkily as far from her father as she could in the small waiting room. Glaring at the pattern in the carpet she contemplated the prior week. _“I cannot believe that he punished me for getting to bed late on Tuesday by insisting that he and Shimura had to accompany Kyoya and me on our date Friday—and cut it short by an hour. And then there was that fiasco of a shopping trip over the weekend. The outfits he tried to get me to wear were ridiculous. They might have been fine for a six or seven year old, but I’m nearly twenty.”_

Her thoughts were interrupted when the receptionist said, “Dr. Goda is ready for you.”

“ _I highly doubt that_ ,” Haruhi mused darkly as she entered the office and purposely sat in the arm chair rather than on the sofa.

Ryoji frowned. “Haruhi, you’re supposed to sit here on the sofa next to me.”

“No.”

Dr. Goda settled into his wingback chair and stated, “I sense some tension in the room this evening.”

“Haruhi has been rather difficult this past week,” Ryoji pouted. “She has been willful and disobedient.”

“And why is that?” the doctor inquired.

“I just don’t know. I’ve been trying to take care of her like any good father would,” Ryoji said. “She’s been such a good girl and now this…”

Haruhi hit the arms of the chair hard with her fists as she stood up. “I HAVE HAD IT! I will not take any more of this…nonsense!”

“You sit down and behave, young lady,” Ryoji exclaimed.

“NO! I have tried to be the good little girl and do what I’m told, but I have had it. You want to talk about this past week? Let’s start by establishing some facts.” She turned on her heel and began pacing the length of the room.

“Fact: I am nearly twenty years old. Fact: I have nearly completed my undergraduate degree and have already been accepted into law school. Fact: I have a goal and I have been working very hard to achieve it. Fact: I have been self-reliant and independent since I was five.”

“Now that’s part of the problem…” Dr. Goda started to say.

Haruhi stopped pacing and glared at him. He looked abashed as she growled, “I have had all I can take of your meddling, doctor.”

She began pacing again. “I have put up with rules that would frustrate an elementary school student, much less a university student. My bedtime is ten o’clock. I have to be home at five o’clock every day except Mondays for work and Fridays when I’m allowed to see my significant other until ten o’clock. My other friends I can only see once a month for four hours. 

“Last week, while he was out on a date, I missed my bedtime by one hour. ONE HOUR. I was doing homework the whole time to make up for not having time to do it on Wednesday evenings. During the six hours he was out, he called me four times at random intervals so he would know I was not on the phone talking to my friends. As punishment for this transgression, he accompanied me on my date with Kyoya on Friday and cut it short by an hour.

“The last straw was this weekend. He insisted on taking me shopping for clothes because he thought my wardrobe was ‘woefully inadequate’. Please note that most of my wardrobe is Hitachiin, custom designed. Then he precedes to try to dress me in outfits like this.” She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the photos.

The doctor looked at the photo of her dressed in a frilly pink babydoll dress with white tights and pink ballet flats. Then she scrolled to the next picture of her dressed in a pinafore wearing Mary Janes. “I am nearly twenty and studying to be a lawyer. I AM NOT FIVE YEARS OLD.”

She spun around to face Ryoji. “Dad, I love you or I wouldn’t have put up with this nonsense for this long. But I WILL NOT pretend to be five years old so you can have a do-over from the point of Mom’s death. It’s NOT going to happen.”

There was a slow clap from the doctor and Haruhi spun around to glare at him.

Dr. Goda stood up, still clapping. He smirked and said, “Bravo. You have finally reached your rebellious teenage years and now you have completed family counseling.”

<OHSHC>

Approaching the front door of Hinansho, Haruhi felt like an outsider. “ _I haven’t been here for months. I haven’t seen any of my friends in weeks—except Kyoya last Friday._ ”

She hung back as her dad and Shimura talked to the desk clerk about their accommodations for the next three days.

“Room? Oh no, Mr. Fujioka. Your apartment on the third floor is ready for you. Here’s your key.” The young lady smiled and waved them through to the private elevator. Haruhi just followed along carrying her weekend bag, lost in her own thoughts.

Once they settle their luggage in the apartment, Ryoji said, “Haruhi, why don’t you go find your friends? Shimura and I are going to talk to Kairi and Shohei. We’ll see you later.”

“Okay, Dad,” she replied without any enthusiasm.

After they left, Haruhi sank down on the sofa. “ _Well, Wataru’s trial is over and he’s been sentenced for my kidnapping. They couldn’t prove anything against Shiori so she was acquitted. She changed schools anyway because she didn’t want everyone gawking at her.”_

She got up and walked into the kitchen. A quick perusal showed that the refrigerator and cupboards were empty. “ _Oh well, I guess I’ll have to go downstairs to get something to eat_.”

She walked back to the living room and flopped down on the sofa again. Picking up a pillow, she hugged it to her chest. “ _Everyone is probably playing games and having fun. I should go find them but I just don’t have the ambition. I probably don’t fit in anymore anyways.”_

A pounding on the door roused her out of her morose thoughts. Reluctantly she got up to answer it.

“There you are,” Ageha huffed. “Why didn’t you come find us as soon as you got here?”

“I was tired…” Haruhi started to say.

Ageha interrupted, “Nonsense. Come with me or I will send Takashi to carry you down. We have so much to tell you because you’ve been gone so long.” She grabbed Haruhi’s arm and started pulling her down the hall to Mitsukuni’s apartment.

“I found her. She was moping in the apartment,” Ageha announced as she pushed Haruhi through the door. “She’s your problem now.” Having completed her task, Ageha left and closed the door behind her.

Suddenly Haruhi was surrounded by her friends and enveloped in a group hug. On the verge of tears, she exclaimed, “I missed you guys. I’m sorry for the past few months.”

Takashi placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault. Issues take time to work through. We’re just glad you’re back.”

“Thanks,” she whispered. “Um, Ageha said you had a lot to tell me?”

Mitsukuni grabbed Reiko’s hand and announced, “On Christmas Day, I asked Reiko to marry me. The wedding will be in June.”

Chiharu placed her hand in the crook of Takashi’s arm and he stated, “I also proposed on Christmas Day. Chiharu and I are planning our wedding for next Christmas.”

The twins and the Beringar sisters linked arms and announced in unison, “We’re engaged, too. But the wedding will wait until after we graduate.”

“Wow, I guess I missed a lot,” Haruhi responded. Her expression sobered.

“What’s wrong?” Rene asked, taking her hands.

She shook her head and then shrugged. “It’s ironic that when I was setting up the Hinan family, I was afraid of losing Dad. Now I guess I’m feeling guilty for thinking ‘If Dad were gone, I’d be part of the family right now.’ Don’t worry. I’ll get over it.”

Haruhi felt a tap on her shoulder and when she turned around, Kyoya was down on one knee holding out a small velvet-covered box containing a simple titanium band with inset diamonds and rubies. He smiled softly and said, “You know, there is more than one way to join a family?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the members of the Host Club are now part of the Hinan family. But is the family complete? Find out in Refuge - Part III: Building the Legacy. The first chapter will be posted January 7, 2021.


End file.
